12-14 September 2024, Jagiellonian University, Krakow

As humanity’s gaze stretches beyond Earth, popular imaginations paint vivid pictures of interstellar travel, cosmic civilizations and extraterrestrial encounters. Yet, have we considered the very concrete social worlds which make such musings about celestial landscapes possible in the first place? This groundbreaking seminar, “Ethnographies of Outer Space: Unveiling the Hidden Social Worlds of Space Exploration,” ventures beyond the realms of rockets and telescopes into the rich territory of the social studies of outer space.

We are looking for papers which emerge from ethnographic research connected to outer space or which delve into the social structures behind the everyday practices and grand narratives of space exploration. We encourage anthropologists, social scientists, and others engaged in space-related work or study of outer space to apply.

Each speaker will have a 20-minute time slot and will participate in a panel discussion. We will finalise the program by the end of June. Please send your abstract of 250 words to karlijn.korpershoek(at)doctoral.uj.edu.pl and peter.timko(at)doctoral.uj.edu.pl by May 31st, with the subject line format [last name / EOS Abstract].

This workshop is hosted by the ARIES project at the Jagiellonian University, with additional funding from EASST. The conference will last two days, with an additional day planned for discussing potential tangible outputs of the conference, social activities and exploring the (space-side) of Krakow. We are working on a limited budget, but please let us know in your email if your travel expenses are not covered by your institution or project and we will try to assist you.