On his way to the Temple of the Grail Knights, Parsifal says: I move only a little, yet already I seem to have gone far. The all-knowing Gurnemanz replies: You see, my son, here time turns into space. - Wagner’s “Parsifal”

The Department of Religions and Cultures at Concordia University is pleased to announce the 30th Annual Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference (AGIC). In part commemorating AGIC’s 30th year of existence and coinciding with Concordia University’s 50th anniversary, we invite both academic and creative submissions (research papers, short films, visual arts/media, short stories, poems, etc.) that engage with this year’s theme,“Journeying”. 

Like the hero in Wagner’s Parsifal, journeys can span and transcend both space and time, animated through narrative and storytelling. They can also lead to significant material and immaterial transformations of both subjects and the worlds they inhabit. With respect to time, disciplines in the humanities and social sciences have undergone remarkable transformations over the past several decades and new, interdisciplinary methodologies and theoretical orientations are ever emerging. It behooves us to reflect upon and understand these journeys from past to present in order to consciously anticipate and equitably construct the future. So too with space: travel, tourism, pilgrimage, immigration, and diasporic dynamics undergo both nuanced and radical changes, catalyzed by political, social, and technological developments. These movements can lead to significant shifts in social organization, affect, knowledge systems, possibilities, perspectives, and subjectivities, and oppressions.

Possible areas of critical exploration include but are not limited to “journeying” at the intersections of religions and/or cultures:

-Pilgrimage

-Diasporas and Displacements

-Emigration and Refugee Experiences

-Tourism and Travel

-Self-discovery, Recovery, and Transformation

-Rites, Ritual, and Psychedelic Practices

-Disciplinary pasts, imagined futures, and reflections of present situations in media res.

Event Description: This year’s hybrid programming will be a full-day, in-person conference at Concordia University on April 9th, 2025. Participants will have the option to attend the conference in person or remotely, as all proceedings will be live-streamed. If we receive an abundance of high-quality submissions, we will host a second day of online presentations for those participants who cannot travel to Montreal. The date is TBA. The conference will feature a combination of paper presentations, panel discussions, keynote addresses, and creative performances. We hope that our diversified programming and accessible conference format will foster meaningful exchanges across disciplinary and geographic divides.  

Submission Instructions:  Proposals of max. 300 words, sent to agic@concordia.ca, must include: a project title and five descriptive keywords; the applicant’s name, email address, and a brief biography (approx. 150 words). Presentations will adhere to a 15 minute limit, followed by time for Q&A. Those affiliated with a university are asked to additionally submit their department and graduate level. Submissions in both English and French are welcomed, as are multi/intermedia or visual art-based works. We ask that proposals be written either in French or English and expect discussion to occur primarily in English. However, we welcome presentations which feature a component in a language other than English or French. A short but descriptive proposal is acceptable for those who wish to present an art-based work. Deadline for submissions is December 1st, 2024. 

Undergraduate Opportunity: Given its desire to promote diverse talent, including that of newer students, the AGIC 2025 organizing committee also welcomes submissions from undergraduate students. In addition to the possibility of doing a full presentation, undergraduate students are encouraged to submit projects suitable for poster presentations. Poster presentations allow undergraduate students to obtain the experience of presenting their work at a conference with less intense requirements than a full presentation. Please see the above section for instructions on how to submit.

For more information about the conference, please visit our website:agic-concordia.ca