CFP: An Extraordinary Substance: A History of Demons and Blood Across Time
Online
CFP: An Extraordinary Substance: A History of Demons and Blood Across Time
The history of demonic possession in various cultures and religions since antiquity seems to suggest a deep physiological connection that humans and demons share with blood. The relationship between blood and demons is a complex topic for scholars to approach for a number of reasons. One such reason is because the study of demons in any field often requires an interdisciplinary approach. Demonic figures appear in myth, religion, literature, medical texts, manuscripts, art, archaeology, and iconography. The other challenge for scholars is how to best sift through the various theoretical approaches to demons.
This conference focuses on demonic realism, which takes the view that nonhuman malevolent demons were perceived by humans as real physical (both material and immaterial) entities, and not just as metaphors for evil. Such a perspective is particularly useful for studying these ideas as they exist in various cultural systems of knowledge. The idea that demons may have existed in the human mind as tangible, real, and understood as being capable of intermingling with humans on a physiological and biological level, suggests the need for a revision of our assumptions as to the importance of demons and blood.
This conference is the first step in a broader project which will hopefully culminate in an edited volume. We seek to examine the longue durée history of the relationship between blood and demons and the changing nature of the relationship between demons and blood across the periods from the first century CE through until the nineteenth century CE. One of the key considerations is to examine the changing notions of demons and blood across periods and cultures. There will be a particular focus on demonic and/or supernatural realism as opposed to psychological or literary interpretations.
Select papers from this conference will be chosen for inclusion in an edited volume that we are
proposing on this theme. We welcome a broad range of topics, particularly those that are interdisciplinary in nature, including, but not limited to:
- Anthropological analyses or approaches to the relationship between demons and blood in human culture.
- Historical studies of the changing conceptions of demons and blood in religious, mythological, or folkloric systems of knowledge.
- Sociological analyses or approaches that explore the changing cultural understandings of demons and blood.
- Philosophical or theological taxonomies or ontologies of demons and blood across time
- Material or archaeological analyses of the connection between demons and blood in human societies across culture, time, and space.
- Literary analyses or approaches of the history of demons and blood in textual evidence.
This conference will take place on October 3, 2026. To apply for this conference please send an abstract via the link below of no more than 250 words for a 15-20 minute paper. Please include your name, affiliation, and a brief bio (50-100 words) with submissions. The deadline for submission is August 3.
Abstract submissions and conference website: https://sites.google.com/view/bloodanddemons2026/submit-abstract?authuser=3
https://sites.google.com/view/bloodanddemons2026/home?authuser=0
demonsandbloodconference26@gmail.com
Tiana Blazevic, Ryan Denson, and Charlotte Spence