An interdisciplinary conference on Celtic culture will take place Oct. 23-25 at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Center for British and Irish Studies on Norlin Library's fifth floor.
The conference is free and open to the public. Registration begins at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23.
The "Celtic Representations" conference will host 22 speakers and several presenters from three continents. Attendees from Kuwait, Canada, the United Kingdom and Africa will come to share their knowledge on topics including Cornish economic paradigms, the "shanty Irish" of 19th century Colorado and the murals of Northern Ireland, an art form depicting the ongoing conflict.
The conference is the brainchild of CU-Boulder doctoral student Monica Emerich, who is in her fourth year of study in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
"I put together the conference proposal while I was studying in Cornwall in May 2002," said Emerich. "Garry Tregidga, a professor at the Institute for Cornish Studies, worked with me. He also will give a keynote speech at the conference."
Emerich was inspired through her study of Celtic spirituality and its portrayal in the media. Through her studies she found that while there are many different disciplines within Celtic studies, there wasn't much crossover. Emerich wanted to encourage more interaction.
"With increased attention in the academy to the benefits of interdisciplinary work, very few of us work in a vacuum anymore," she said. "The conference will host speakers from at least seven different disciplines, all speaking on aspects of Celtic culture, and I believe we will gain a great deal by combining our expertise.
"With the level of interest that this conference has generated, I am hopeful it will become an annual event," said Emerich.
The conference is sponsored by the Center for British and Irish Studies, the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Exeter's Institute of Cornish Studies based in Truro, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom.
For more information visit the Web site at .