CfP: Embattled Heavens - The Militarization of Space in Science,Fiction, and Politics
Embattled Heavens:
The Militarization of Space in Science, Fiction, and
Politics
– Call for Papers –
Berlin, 10–12 April 2014
Deadline for proposals: 1 December 2013
For much of the twentieth century, outer space has been
envisioned as
not only a site of heavenly utopias, but also the
ultimate battlefield.
Science fact and science fiction celebrated visions of
progress and
renewal. Astrofuturists imagined a future in which the
wonders of space
exploration would unite humankind and eliminate violent
conflict
worldwide. Nonetheless, many of the projects and
preoccupations central
to Western space thought, such as the efforts to
establish a military
base on the moon, are testaments to the darker and more
violent side of
astroculture. Defense interests have historically been
driving factors
in the development of space technologies. Military and
civilian aspects
have, however, often been dealt with separately in
debates about
humanity’s widely anticipated future in the stars.
Concentrating on weapons, warfare, and violence, this
conference
examines the military dimensions of astroculture in the
period between
1942 and 1990. While space history tends to distinguish
between military
and civilian aspects, this conference examines the ways
in which both
have been linked in the legitimization and popularization
of
spaceflight. By highlighting the militarization of
extraterrestrial
frontiers and conquest in politics and popular culture
alike, ‘Embattled
Heavens’ addresses the complex processes that oscillate
between peaceful
and aggressive characteristics of human endeavors in
outer space. It
aims to decentralize a historiography that often focuses
on the two
space superpowers, the US and the USSR. While the Space
Age is usually
associated with the Cold War, this conference complicates
established
narratives by integrating Western European and global
perspectives.
Examining astropolitics, technoscientific practices, and
science
fiction, our goal is to reconceptualize the history of
outer space with
a view toward its military dimensions.
The conference will be structured around the following
five core themes:
(1) ROCKETS AND DOMINATION looks at military spaceflight
and its
political applications from the V-2 rocket to satellite
surveillance,
problematizing the ‘dual use’ character of space
technology. (2) HUMAN
SPACEFLIGHT AND HEROIC UTOPIAS explores the interplay of
romantic images
and technoscientific narratives in legitimizing the
development and use
of space technology. (3) SPACE MACHINES emphasizes the
collaborative
role of both technology and human actors in developing
ever-new
capabilities of space assets and envisioning the
possibilities for
space-based wars. (4) BODIES IN SPACE focuses on agency
and experience
in relation to aspects of physical power and violent
practices and the
constant preoccupation with the possibilities of
extraterrestrial life.
(5) ENVISIONING SITES OF WAR examines the importance of visions
articulated in science fiction and their influence on
interntional
politics, from Wernher von Braun’s space station scheme
to Ronald
Reagan’s Star Wars program, stressing the tensions
between depictions of
the heavens as a utopian site eliminating all future
wars, and as a
battlefield of cosmic dimensions.
Our approach is transdisciplinary, and we welcome
proposals for
twenty-minute presentations from scholars of all fields,
including
history, political science, science and technology studies,
and cultural
studies. Please submit an abstract of no more than 300
words together
with a short CV (up to two pages) before 1 December 2013
to Daniel
Brandau and Tilmann Siebeneichner at astrofuturismus@fu-berlin.de.
All
lodging and meals during the conference will be covered.
A limited
number of grants will be given to contributors to cover
their travel
expenses.
The Future in the Stars: European Astroculture and
Extraterrestrial Life in the Twentieth Century
Emmy Noether Research Group
Friedrich-Meinecke-Institut
Freie Universität Berlin
Koserstrasse 20
D-14195 Berlin