Call for papers --> Atari & Archetype: Psychology and Mythology in the Digital Future

Now that we're done with OCCUPY PSYCHE we are accepting proposals for our next book of essays.

Working Title:
ATARI & ARCHETYPE:
Psychology and Mythology in the Digital Future
edited by Jordan Shapiro and Bonnie Bright

Call for proposals:

This collection of essays will look at the changing nature of story and myth.

Proposals should focus on video games, the Internet, and social media; how is the nature of narrative changing as digital technologies become more ubiquitous?

Jungian, archetypal, and depth psychologies emphasize the prevalence of mythopoetic structures that impact our everyday life. Analysts and scholars of mythology look at ancient stories in order to catch glimpses of the unconscious present. Depth psychologists consider our rituals, habits, and work-a-day lives to be current manifestations of primordial archetypal images.

But the structure of our stories is changing. The linear trajectory of the book, the sequential structure of cinema, and the temporal form of music are all being reimagined as nonlinear, asynchronous, and interactive alternatives.

Taking the world’s digital shift as the starting point, essays in this volume might take a variety of approaches: speculative, critical, reflective…you decide.

You may want to consider the particular image or archetypal structure of video games. What archetype is constellated by first person shooter games? What’s with the angry birds? Fighting plants attacking zombies?

You may want to raise questions about what social networking means for the future of relatedness. Some have called it the literal manifestation of the collective unconscious. Others have called it the commoditization of the interpersonal self.

You may want to speculate on psyche’s move toward digital epistemologies. What happens if we see the hyperlink as a symptom? A Jungian interpretation of Tumblr, Pinterest, or YouTube?

You may have some thoughts about the text message. How does the brevity of SMS and its lack of nuance change our relationship to written communication?

E-readers, tablets, smart phones. Nothing is off limits.

There are so many questions. This volume hopes to address a few of them.

Contributions should be written in a familiar style that will appeal to both scholars and casual readers alike.

Submit your proposal of approximately 750 words by September 17th, 2012, first draft chapters will be due end of October or early November.

Click Here to Submit your proposal to ATARI & ARCHETYPE

Click here for more info.

DIALOGUE