Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness 40th Annual Conference

Death and Transformation
April 27-29, 2023
The Chrysalis Inn & Spa in Bellingham, WA

Proposal Submission:  https://forms.gle/woQt4HR8ZecmrWvW6
Conference Registration: https://my.americananthro.org/nc__event?id=a0l8W00000ZhMDQQA3

The Program Committee for the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness invites members and their collaborators to investigate how we engage with communities concerning death, dying, and transformation. We chose this theme to reflect upon the individual and collective experiences with death (in all its forms) and the experience of transformation. The theme of Death and Transformation points to the context and social climate in which we currently live: many of us – if not all of us – are seeing many of our lifeways and habits dissolve and metamorphosizing into forms that are unexpected, unanticipated, and difficult to ascertain. As anthropologists and consciousness researchers, we understand that we need to provide containers for each other so that we may be of support to each other during such a collective liminal time. Therefore, we invite presenters to reflect and engage with subjects related to death, dying, near-death experiences, death-care, ancestral healing, transformation, and ecological collapse. We consider this conference an opportunity to build networks for collective engagement, restorative practices, healing, and reconciliation.

We continue to welcome works that explore practices that might provide transformational learning and opportunities for collective action. We also welcome members, collaborators, and those new to the conference to engage in discussions related to exploring consciousness in all lived experiences, both human and non-human consciousness.

Potential topics for paper, panel proposals, pre-recorded events, short films, art, and workshops include but are not limited to:

• Death and/or near-death experiences (NDEs)
• Dreams and death
• The deadly and/or transformative effects of COVID-19
• Ecological collapse and/or transformation through wildfires and flooding
• Voices of youth and subaltern amidst ecological disruption and change
• “Slow” deaths through capitalist mechanisms such as worker exploitation
• Death work and workers that support the dying in various ways
• Explorations of what a ‘good death’ is
• Grief processing
• End-of-life processes and reflections
• Ancestors and our relationships with those who have died
• Funerary and burial practices

Workshops, Experientials, and Art

We also invite submissions of artistic works and experiential workshops exploring or cultivating consciousness, specifically those that relate to the conference theme. We aim to build bridges across scholastic and creative communities and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Prerecorded Content Gallery

Do you have a short film, a podcast episode, a prerecorded panel discussion, or other academic or artistic work that you feel aligns with our conference theme? Will this pre-recorded media work as an integral part of our online gallery that will be live for the entire conference? Reach out and let us know. We can accommodate several different formats, and they need not be limited to academic projects or those with a decidedly anthropological lens. We are an interdisciplinary organization and are seeking content from a variety of different perspectives. The closer to the communities most affected by death in all its forms, including ecological upheaval, the better.

Registration Instructions

• Proposals and questions regarding workshops, and special events should be submitted by April 3rd, 2023 to: aocgeneral@gmail.com, Acceptance notifications will be sent by April 10^th.

• To submit your proposal, please visit the online submission portal here: https://forms.gle/woQt4HR8ZecmrWvW6.

• Meeting registration is required and must be completed by the submission deadline for your proposal(s) to be considered.  To register before the April 3 submission deadline, please visit the AAA website here: https://my.americananthro.org/nc__event?id=a0l8W00000ZhMDQQA3.

• If your submission is not accepted, you may request a refund of your registration fees.

• For more information, please contact: John Baker, AC President: JohnBaker@vcccd.edu

SPECIAL EVENTS (list still updating) Friday, April 28:

Fairhaven Gore & Lore History Tour by the Good Time Girls
Start time: 8:00pm (Please plan to arrive 15 minutes before.)

Meeting location: Meet at the Fairhaven Village Green behind Village Books (1207 10th St, Bellingham, WA 98225.)

Explore the spooky side of Fairhaven, Bellingham’s south-side shopping district and “haunted hot-spot.” Hear ghost stories, true crime tales and spooky local lore with a costumed guide.  This tour lasts a little over 1 hour and distance is under 1 mile. PG-13 suggested for violent, gory, and potentially scary topics.

TOURISM INFORMATION

Bellingham Tourism Information:  https://www.bellingham.org

HOTEL INFORMATION

Host Hotel – Chrysalis Inn Hotel & Spa in Bellingham, WA: https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/blittqq-the-chrysalis-inn-and-spa-bellingham/

Other Accommodations:  https://admissions.wwu.edu/visit/accommodations

TRAVEL INFORMATION

Bellingham International Airport (Recommended)

• Bellingham Airport is about 11 miles from the host hotel.

Recommend Taxi, Uber, or Lyft to the hotel. If your flight is on a Sunday, very early in the morning, or late at night, we recommend reserving a ride to the airport in a taxi in advance.

Seattle Tacoma International Airport

Sea-Tac Airport can be reached from Bellingham using a variety of options:

• Car Rental.
• Airporter Shuttle provides direct service between Bellingham and Sea-Tac airport.

Public transit, Greyhound and Amtrak can be used with a transfer to Link Light Rail in Seattle. The Link light rail travels to Sea-Tac airport.

• The Port of Seattle operates Sea-Tac Airport. Information regarding the airport can be found on their website, portseattle.org/Sea-Tac.

Bellair Charters / Airporter

• The Bellair Airporter Shuttle provides service multiple times daily between Bellingham and SeaTac airport, plus many other destinations including eastern Washington.

The Airporter Shuttle can be boarded any day at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 714 Lakeway Drive (next to Fred Meyer), with convenient connections to WWU via WTA bus, and Taxi/Uber/Lyft. Please note that due to the coronavirus pandemic the Airporter Shuttle is not stopping on campus. Typically, the Airporter picks up on the WWU Campus at the Performing Arts Center on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays with extended service on holidays and breaks.

FlixBus

• FlixBus offers intercity bus connections to Vancouver BC, Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Portland, Eugene, and more. Catch the FlixBus then travel to the hotel.

Amtrak Cascades Train

• Amtrak Cascades provides daily service between Bellingham, Vancouver BC and points south to Eugene. The Amtrak Station is located at the Fairhaven Transportation Center, 401 Harris Avenue.

Greyhound Bus

• Catch a Greyhound bus to travel down the I-5 corridor and to eastern Washington. The Greyhound bus station is located at the Fairhaven Transportation Center, 401 Harris Avenue, Bellingham, then travel to the hotel.

Washington State Ferries

• Ferries provide service to/from multiple points around the Puget Sound, San Juan Islands, and Vancouver Island. wsdot.wa.gov/ferries

Please see our flyer for the conference below.