Voyage to the wilder shores of thought with Weird Academia, a live conversation exploring ideas that challenge the conventional boundaries of scholarship. This event brings together artists and thinkers from both inside and outside the academy to stage an encounter with the Weird: the occult, mysticism, hauntings, telepathy, UFOs, spirit mediumship, and other notions that seldom find a home in mainstream academia.
The evening gathers together leading thinkers and creators from the intellectual sphere of the Weird: IU professor Phil Ford and Canadian philosopher J. F. Martel of the Weird Studies podcast; IU professor Jacob Foster, whose work imagines a science of the possible; religious studies scholar Jeffrey Kripal, whose influential writings challenge humanists to confront the paranormal; artist Shannon Taggart, known for her uncanny spiritualist photography; primatologist Cat Hobaiter, whose research on non-human communication opens new frontiers of understanding; and public intellectual Erik Davis, whose writings on esoterica and media culture defy categorization.
Expect a night of startling ideas, unexpected connections, and intellectual explorations untethered from disciplinary constraints. Whether you’re a seeker, skeptic, or simply intrigued by the unknown, Weird Academia promises a mind-expanding journey into the outer edges of thought.
This event is FREE! No tickets needed.
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7:00pm - 9:00pm