21st Century Magic and Spirituality in Media and Culture

Venue: Professor Stuart Hall Building (PSH) LG01, Lewisham Way, London SE14 6NW

Keynote: Jason Ānanda Josephson Storm, Professor of Religion, Chair of Science & Technology Studies, Williams College, US (presented remotely to in-person audience)

The 21st century has seen an exponential rise of what can be loosely defined as spiritual media and culture – virtual worlds are replete with reports of mystical experiences, and astrology apps, tarot readings on TikTok, or Wicca influencers on YouTube can attract millions of subscribers, followers, and views. What used to be marginal, esoteric “structures of feeling” (Williams, 1977) belonging outside of the socially prescribed, institutional frameworks are now visibly in the mainstream, offering different models of identities, entrepreneurships, and engaged in meaning making practices that are often lodged between the sacred and the trivial.

The aim of this symposium is to provide a platform for inter- and cross- disciplinary dialogue about old/new spiritual cultures, occulture and magic practices in the 21st century. The link to the full programme will be released shortly.

Please note that this registration is for in-person attendance only. This is due to the site-specific nature of some of the presentations. If you are only able to attend the symposium sessions online, please request the Microsoft Teams link directly from Vana Goblot - [email protected].

The event is hosted by Media, Communications and Cultural Studies (MCCS), Goldsmiths, University of London with Dr James Burton, Dr Aleena Chia, Dr Dan Strutt (Symposium Organising Committtee) and Dr Vana Goblot (Symposium Organiser)

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Host or Publisher MCCS, Goldsmiths, University of London