Embattled Heavens: The Militarization of Space in Science, Fiction, and Politics

For much of the twentieth century, outer space has been envisioned as not only a site of heavenly utopias, but also the ultimate battlefield. Concentrating on weapons, warfare, and violence, this conference explores the military dimensions of astroculture in the period between 1942 and 1990. 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. While the Space Age is usually associated with Cold War history, this conference complicates established narratives by integrating Western European and global perspectives. Examining astropolitics, technoscientific practices, and science fiction, the goal of this conference is to reconceptualize the history of outer space with a view towards its military dimensions.

Conference speakers include David Edgerton (King's College London), Bernd Greiner (Hamburger Institut für Sozialforschung), Michael J. Neufeld (National Air and Space Museum), Alex Roland (Duke University) and Michael Sheehan (Swansea University).

Interested attendees are encouraged to register in advance, so that adequate seating can be provided. Please contact Daniel Brandau and Tilmann Siebeneichner at astrofuturismus@fu-berlin.de.

http://www.geschkult.fu-berlin.de/e/fmi/astrofuturismus/veranstaltungen/C_Heavens/index.html

Forthcoming event highlighting Leeds University Brotherton Library's sf collections.

 
http://library.leeds.ac.uk/events/410/event/195/

Date: Saturday 29 Mar 2014

Location: The Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery
Time: 11:00 - 12:00
Cost: Free Event
To coincide with our new display, Dreams of a Low Carbon Future (10 February- 31 March 2014), this discussion will highlight works from the Science Fiction Collection, held in the Library's Special Collections.
There will be opportunity to see early pulp magazines, illustrated volumes and rare editions of highly influential works of SF literature. Come along to learn more about these futures past and the history of the collections. A short presentation will be followed by questions and discussion.
Find out more about the University of Leeds' Special Collections on their website pages: http://library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections