Dear Colleagues,

The Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at The Ohio State University is pleased to announce an upcoming conference as part of our biannual celebration of Popular Culture and the Deep Past (PCDP) in 2026. We warmly invite abstracts exploring topics related to medieval and Renaissance astrology and astronomy.Call for PapersStar Gazing: Astrology and Astronomy in the Medieval and Renaissance ImaginationPopular Culture and the Deep Past 2026

 April 10-11, 2026

Online via Zoom & Ohio Union - The Ohio State University

The submission deadline for abstracts and panel proposals is December 19, 2025. 

Submissions after that date will be happily received, but cannot be guaranteed full consideration. Abstracts may be submitted via email to cmrs@osu.edu.

Since human beings first looked up at the heavens, the stars and other celestial bodies have played a crucial role in how people have made sense of the cosmos, their societies and the bodies they inhabit.  On April 10-11, 2026, the OSU Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies will host its biennial celebration of Popular Culture and the Deep Past (PCDP) at the Ohio State University on the topic of “Star Gazing: Astrology and Astronomy in the Medieval and Renaissance Imagination.”

As in past years, this event will feature a scholarly conference with papers, round tables and keynote lectures by prominent scholars, nested within a Renaissance-faire-like carnival featuring exhibits, gaming, contests, live demonstrations and activities of all kinds. 

This event encourages participants to blur the boundary between what is too easily characterized as an older worldview based in astrology and other superstitions, and the apparently more rational and proto-scientific worldview of astronomy that championed empirical observation along with new techniques and instruments.  It will be fascinating to learn how these two systems overlapped and informed one another both in practice and across a range of representations like art and literature.  Astrological beliefs and practices live on into the present and still shape the way many of us see reality.

We seek papers from faculty, graduate students and others that address any and all aspects of astronomy and astrology in medieval and early modern cultures. 

Topics might include representations of astronomy and astrology in elite and popular media, both past and present; the social, cultural, economic, gendered and political contexts of astronomy and astrology; the material and spatial artifacts associated with astronomy and astrology; the relationship of modern and historical theories and practices relating to astronomy and astrology.

Submission Guidelines: 

Conference presentations will generally be limited to 20 minutes duration, followed by 10 minutes of discussion. They will be organized thematically into sessions of three or four papers each. Other presentations for our Saturday fair, including music, dance, art, gaming, readings and other activities or displays, will be accommodated more freely according to our resources of space and scheduling. Proposals for virtual presentation are welcome. Please send your presentation ideas to cmrs@osu.edu, including a title, abstract and contact information. Abstracts should be no more than 300 words and attached as either a Word document or PDF. Please also submit a short description/synopsis (50 words) that may be made public and used for marketing materials. We will begin evaluating proposals after December 19; submissions after that date will be happily received up until the time of the event, but their inclusion will depend on remaining openings in the schedule.

Schedule: Conference and Mini-Fair

The PCDP conference generally holds paper presentations on the Friday of the event (April 10). Depending on the number of submissions accepted, additional presentations may be scheduled in tandem with Saturday's mini Renaissance Fair (April 11) that will otherwise feature a variety of exhibitions, performances and hands-on activities.

In your proposal, please let us know if you'd like to host an exhibition table or demonstration on Saturday in addition to presenting a paper on Friday. If you are only available on Saturday, please let us know. 

Find this CFP, plus additional information about PCDP (coming soon!) on our event website. 

This event is free, open to the public and welcoming to everyone.