9th International Conference of
the Utopian Studies Society
University of Limerick, Ireland, 3-5 July 2008
The 9th International Conference of the Utopian Studies Society will be held at the University of Limerick on 3-5 July 2008. The conference will begin at 9am on 3 July and end at 4:30 pm on 5 July.
With the theme of “Bridges to Utopia,” the conference will examine a range of topics related to utopia and utopianism, in its historical articulation and contemporary realisation. Keynote speakers are Joe Cleary (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Bernard Gendron (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Peadar Kirby (University of Limerick), and Nicole Pohl (Oxford Brookes University).
Registration
A full registration pack is available from the conference organisers. Contact Jack Fennell at the Ralahine Centre - ralahine@ul.ie - if you have not already received this.
Registration fees:
Early Bird (before 1 June 2008 )- 160 euros.
Regular (before 1 July 2008) - 180 euros
Late Fee (after 1 July 2008) - 200 euros
Student - 160 euros
Further inquiries:
Inquiries on academic, logistical, and other practical matters should be made to ralahine@ul.ie.
Venue
The University of Limerick is a young and vibrant university with a strong commitment to interdisciplinary studies. The Arts, Humanities, and Social Science Faculty is the largest in the university. The campus is beautifully situated on the banks of the river Shannon just outside the city of Limerick in Castletroy.
See: http://www.ul.ie. See also: http://www.discoverireland.ie.
Schedule
The Conference will open at 9am.on Thursday, 3 July, with registration on Wed 2 July from 9-10am and from 6-7pm. The conference will close at 4:30 pm on Saturday, 5 July.
A detailed programme will be available in May 2008., but the outline schedule is included in the registration pack.
A pre-conference field trip to Ralahine, and the Cloughjordan Ecovillage will take place on Wednesday, 2 July, and will include a dramatic reading of a play about the Ralahine experiment. This full day excursion will cost 40 euros, including lunch.
Transport
Buses and taxies link Shannon airport and the Limerick city train and bus station to the university and to conference accommodation. From Shannon airport, bus tickets cost €5.90 and taxis cost on average €50. Car rentals are also available from Shannon. Limerick can also be reached via Dublin airport (and then by bus or train to Limerick city) or Cork airport (and then by bus or train to Limerick city).
Accommodation
Contact details of all the accommodation options are included inthe registration pack - available on request from ralahine@ul.ie
En-suite rooms (bed and breakfast, at €55 per night, per person) on campus are reserved for conference delegates in modern student residences, a short walk from the conference venues. Rooms are also set aside under “Utopian Studies Conference” at the Castletroy Park Hotel (b&b, at €115 single; €140 double) and under “University of Limerick” at the Kilmurray Lodge Hotel (b&b at €70 singel; €95 double), both within walking distance. Additional b&b accommodation is also within walking distance. Limerick city has hotels in all price ranges, but a bus or taxi to the university is necessary.
Full accommodation and booking information will be sent upon the acceptance of a delegate’s paper.
The Utopian Studies Society
The Utopian Studies Society is an interdisciplinary society that aims to co-ordinate and encourage the diverse work currently taking place on the subject of utopianism. Members include people researching literature, philosophy, sociology, history, architecture, politics and anthropology. The Society was established in 1988 by a group of British scholars, following an international conference on utopianism at New Lanark and was expanded into a European-wide organisation in 2000.
See: http://www.utopianstudieseurope.org.
Ralahine Centre for Utopian Studies
The Ralahine Centre for Utopian Studies was established in 2003 as an inter-disciplinary research centre based the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
See: http://www.ul.ie/ralahinecentre/introduction.html.
The Centre is named after the Ralahine Commune, an Owenite co-operative society that was in operation between 1831 and 1833 on the estate of John Vandeleur in Newmarket-on-Fergus in nearby County Clare.
See: http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/history/ralahine.htm.
The Centre pursues and fosters research on utopian thought and practice. The research carried out by the faculty and postgraduate members of the Centre identifies and studies utopian visions articulated through texts (literary, legal, political, theological, filmic, visual, musical, architectural, and others) and social experiences (such as religious and secular intentional communities, political movements, and cultural practices). While the Centre encourages research in all aspects of utopianism, it has a particular commitment to the study of utopianism in Irish culture.
