Please join us for the next installment in our "No More Than A Page" series. This series gives an opportunity for faculty and advanced graduate students to receive feedback on their research in process. Presenters provide attendees with a one-page summary of their current research and attendees engage in a lively discussion.
This installment will feature Patrick Dunn, Ph.D Student & Graduate Teaching Associate in the Department of Comparative Studies. Patrick was the recipient of last year's Iles Award for the Study of Myth from the Center for the Study of Religion.
Since the 1950s, the modern UFO phenomenon has been animated by creative syntheses of spiritual practice with technoscientific applications. Some regard the "nonhuman intelligence" of UFOs themselves as at once a manifestation of "consciousness-assisted technology" and "technology-assisted consciousness." Here I discuss specific living communities inspired by "CE-5" contact modalities - their methods and what those suggest about the place of UFO contact within the history of religions.
Patrick's current research focuses on the modern UFO/UAP phenomenon and its relationship to historical formations of religion and spirituality. His dissertation traces a logic of secrecy and initiation that connects ancient mystery schools, early modern secret societies, and contemporary technoscientific, military, and intelligence operations. By showing how the UFO phenomenon implicates technology and spirituality, science and myth, materiality and consciousness, this genealogy calls for a rethinking of the nature of religion and its role in shaping the modern world.
This event is free and open to the public. Co-hosted by the Center for the Study of Religion, the Department of Comparative Studies and the Humanities Institute.
The Humanities Institute and its related centers host a wide range of events, from intense discussions of works in progress to cutting-edge presentations from world-known scholars, artists, activists and everything in between.
We value in-person engagement at our events as we strive to amplify the energy in the room. To submit an accommodation request, please send your request to Cody Childs, childs.97@osu.edu
