Vampires:
Myths and Metaphors of Enduring Evil

Thursday 22nd May - Saturday 24th May 2003
Budapest, Hungary

*New Deadline for Submissions *

This inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary conference seeks to investigate and explore the vampire legend and its enduring influence on human culture throughout history.

Perspectives are sought from those engaged in the fields of literature, media studies, cultural studies, history, anthropology, philosophy, psychology, sociology, health and theology. Ideas are welcomed from those involved in academic study, fictional explorations, and applied areas (e.g. youth work, criminology and medicine).

Papers, reports, work-in-progress and workshops are invited on issues related to any of the following themes:

• The popularity of the modern vampire (Buffy, Blade, Lestat and co)
• The vampire in literature
• The vampire in media (tv, cinema, radio)
• The gothic vampire and the legacy of Dracula
• Ancient and medieval myths surrounding the dead and undead
• The vampire through history
• Religious depictions of vampires and vampire gods
• Vampires across cultures
• Vampires, bodies and death
• Vampires, illness and addiction
• Vampires, gender and sexuality
• Relationships between vampires and other evils (e.g. ghosts, witches, demons and shape-shifters)
• Modern vampire subculture (blood fetishists, role-players and vampyres)
• Biological, medical, historical and sociological bases of vampire legends
• Vampires, metaphors and the monstrous
• Approaches to studying vampires (from psycho-analysis to post-modernity)
• Vampire-related disorders and their treatment
• Vampire-related crimes and appropriate responses

Papers will be considered on any related theme. 300 word abstracts should be submitted by Friday 28th February 2003. Full draft papers should be submitted by 15th April 2003.

The conference is part of a larger series of ongoing conferences entitled ‘At the Interface’, and run as a project under the auspices of Wickedness.Net. It aims to bring together people from different areas and interests to share ideas and explore various discussions which are innovative and exciting. All papers accepted for and presented at the conference will be published as an ISBN eBook. Selected papers accepted for and presented at this conference will be published in a hard copy themed volume.

Proposals should be submitted via email to the organising committee: Peter Day and Meg Barker

Inquiries about booking, conference accommodation, fees etc, should be directed to Rob Fisher

© Wickedness.Net 2002