2023 Archives of the Impossible Conference

Archives of the Impossible II: Transnationalism, Transdisciplinarity, Transcendence

Archives of the Impossible II: Transnationalism, Transdisciplinarity, Transcendence

We are going to host a second international conference around our Archives of the Impossible at Rice University, this time explicitly on how to mainstream these questions and materials in the larger academy and our public cultures. The event is entitled "Archives of the Impossible II: Transnationalism, Transdisciplinarity, Transcendence.”

The event is scheduled for May 11-13 at Rice University in Houston, in the same beautiful venue in which we held the first one, Hudspeth Auditorium in the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. This is a two-and-a-half day event, from Thursday afternoon, May 11, to Saturday evening, May 13. It will feature three opening webinars, like last year, in April and May, and, at the conference itself, six plenary speakers from a broad array of areas, two thematic panels (one on a major archival gift from the John E. Mack Institute, and one on film and the impossible), and 14 “flash talks” of 25 minutes each. There are well over 30 experiencers, activists and thinkers speaking here.

Please explore this website for the latest, and to register for our webinars and the conference itself. There are two ways to register for the event in May: as a physical attendee and as a digital registrant.

I should add that the response to the last event was simply overwhelming. We had over 1,700 people register, about 200 individuals show up in person (during COVID, no less), and, at the moment, over 250,000 views have been noted on YouTube on our Archives of the Impossible playlist. You might have also seen the latest on one of our donors, Jacques Vallée, in this piece in New York Times.

Things are a’changing. We are making headway here. We want to make more headway. We want this thing to “tip” or, as I say, “flip.” It’s okay if some us flop, too, by the way. That’s part of the flip, and it’s funny.

Warmly,

Jeff

 


How to attend:

To join us in person, please register to reserve your seat

Alternatively, to join us online, please register to receive your Zoom link


Thursday, May 11 Saturday, May 13, 2023, Rice University

Online
Zoom Webinar

On Campus
Hudspeth Auditorium  |  Anderson-Clarke Center  |  Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies  |  Rice University

Sponsors

  • Woodson Research Center
  • The Rockwell Fund, Department of Religion
  • Chao Center for Asian Studies
  • Humanities Research Center
  • Esalen Institute

All members of the Rice community and public welcome
 

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Pre-Conference Webinars
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Plenary Session Speakers
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Flash Talk Speakers