The Frightful and the Familiar: Exploring the Uncanny in the Ancient World

Since its establishment as a fixed idea by Sigmund Freud in his 1919 essay Das Unheimliche, the concept of the Uncanny has been examined and developed by a range of thinkers and theorists from different fields, including Jacques Lacan and Julia Kristeva. This workshop aims to explore ancient conceptions and manifestations of the Uncanny and discuss the suitability of modern theories for use in this area of study.  We therefore welcome papers from PhD students from fields connected with any aspect of the ancient world which address ancient notions of the Uncanny.

We aim to explore the ancient Uncanny in the broadest possible sense. Some suggested topics include, but are by no means restricted to:
 Modern theoretical approaches to the Uncanny (and related concepts)
 The Uncanny in ancient thought
 Representations of the Uncanny in art and literature
 Modern receptions of the ancient Uncanny

We welcome abstracts of up to 200 words for 15-20 minute papers (10 mins discussion will follow).  Please send abstracts in PDF format to e.c.sanderson@liverpool.ac.uk by no later than 5pm GMT on July 3rd 2018. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their submission in the first week of July.  We welcome attendees as well as speakers! If you would like to attend, please register your interest by July 26th 2018.