Olaf Stapledon Centre for Speculative Futures

Description

The Olaf Stapledon Centre for Speculative Futures is an interdisciplinary research center located at the University of Liverpool. The center brings together researchers from various disciplines, with a particular focus on English, Philosophy, and Special Collections and Archives.

The center's unique combination of archival, philosophical, and literary expertise is used to explore the many ways in which "the future" can be conceived, and to contemplate the ultimate destiny of humankind in the cosmos, a topic that Olaf Stapledon often explored. Within the University, the center collaborates closely with the Literature and Science Hub within the Department of English and with the Olaf Stapledon collection and the Science Fiction Foundation collection at Special Collections and Archives. The center also works with the Science Fiction Foundation, a registered charity (No. 1041052), to promote the charity's objectives.

The center has several objectives. First, it aims to explore how science fiction, broadly conceived, has speculated about possible futures and the philosophical questions it raises. Second, it aims to demonstrate how philosophy today, including "the philosophy of the future," can help contextualize the present moment in time and the futures envisioned and facilitate understanding. Third, it aims to raise awareness of how archival holdings can inform views of both the past and future and to develop the use of literary heritage into the future. Fourth, it aims to use an interdisciplinary array of methodologies to intervene in current debates about possible futures and to showcase the knowledge and expertise that such disciplines can provide regarding technological, scientific, and social change. Finally, it aims to examine the extent to which science fiction can serve as a model for imagining possible futures and as a means of engaging different communities in discussions about technological, scientific, and social change.

To achieve these objectives, the center engages in several activities. Its members run the MA in English (Science Fiction Studies) and numerous modules in English, Philosophy, and History at the University of Liverpool. The center also promotes the use of the University's collections and holdings, including the Science Fiction Foundation collection, at Special Collections and Archives, and through the Science Fiction Hub. Additionally, the center develops workshops and training symposia within its specialist areas, including developing and extending the use of sf archival materials in teaching, engagement, and outreach activities. It hosts public lectures on key topics related to science and technology and the philosophy of the future, organizes public events, including writers' symposia and workshops, exhibitions, and talks, and provides support to Current Research in Speculative Fiction, an annual postgraduate and early-career conference founded in Liverpool in 2011. Finally, the center offers consultancy services for the development of insights into futures analysis and technological development via the Speculative Technology and Innovations Research Group.

Offers funding

No, this infrastructure does not provide funding.

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University of Liverpool
Liverpool