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Conference Call for Proposals

The Waters of Life – Exploring Water Mythos, Divinity, Beings & Ecology

May 5th and 6th, 2023

Crowne Plaza, Syracuse New York

This conference will provide the opportunity to explore myths from around the world of water Goddesses, water creatures and water itself in cultural, spiritual, historical, and ecological contexts.  Water as one of the Elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) is recognized as a building block of everything on earth from the spiritual to the mundane in multiple spiritual traditions and Water as 50%-60% of our bodies is scientifically recognized as an elemental component of life, crucial for survival.   Indigenous peoples honor the intertwining of life and water and hold it as sacred in ritual, story and everyday life, while the industrial world has reduced it to a commodity.  With the onset of global warming, a consciousness is arising of the need for respect, reverence and protection for our water sources – a time to look back and around to gather the wisdom of Water Keepers, past and present, around the globe.  Potential topics include, though are not limited to: 

• Water Mythos Grounded in Reality & Science
• Exploring Beings, Myths and Ecology of our Aqueous Worlds
• Oceans Infinite but Endangered- Exploring Water-based Mythology and Ecology
• New views on key species in myth and in the real world such as: cranes/waterbirds, sharks, whales, octopuses
• Indigenous sciences and traditional technologies
• Interrelationships of water, water beings and ecosystems in myth and science
• Ethical perspectives in the use of sacred stories
• Emerging new perspectives in post-humanism that grant agency to non-human beings
• Methodologies for inclusions of mysteries in traditional and academic research
• Place wisdom, environmental resilience, identity and myth
• Examining racial and gender intersectionality in history and myth, nature and society
• Indigenous science and climate change: decolonizing environmental and ecological knowledge, environmental justice
• Violence against women and the planet: commodification/pollution of water, extinction of species
• Transnational perspectives on climate change, indigenous women’s knowledge, and the role of non-human species
• Natural resource management and indigenous methods

Given the location of our conference, these topics are also relevant:

• Narratives of women, social and environmental justice related to Seneca Falls
• Exploring history, myth, inclusions and exclusions of the early Women’s Suffrage movement at Seneca Falls

We especially encourage proposals from First Nations women of the Americas,  Indigenous women, internationally, and women of color.

We are accepting proposals for papers, panels, and posters. All proposal abstracts (no longer than 250 words) and a short (70 words or fewer) bio for each Presenter are to be submitted on this form.

Check out our tips on writing proposals.

Deadline for papers, panels and posters  is February 1, 2023.