International Society for the Study of Time (ISST) together with Institute of English and American Studies in Gdańsk invites scientists, scholars, artists and practitioners to explore the theme “Metamorphoses of Time ” at its interim conference at the University of Gdańsk in Pomerania, Poland. Our three-day format of plenary presentations fosters sustained, in-depth discussion among participants. For this reason, we thus expect participants to register for the full duration of the conference.  During the event we will provide participants with a selection of time-related guided tours and excursions in Gdańsk, a seaside gem in Northern Poland.

Metamorphosis, from Greek metamorphōsis, refers to a change of form or structure, a trans-formation that affects appearance, circumstances, condition, or character. Because metamorphosis is a process, it involves time, which, as Aristotle has it, measures change and is measured by change. But if all is in flux and there is nothing but change, then time, the agent of change, undergoes metamorphoses as well. This dimension of temporality finds a powerful expression in Ovid's Metamorphoses: “as water is forced downstream by the water behind it and presses no less on the water ahead, so time is in constant flight and pursuit, continually new. The present turns into the past and the future replaces the present; every moment that passes is new and eternally changing” (Met. 15.181-85). The time-river, moreover, evades linear and static measures. Its flow is not always smooth and regular.  Not even its direction remains constant or predictable, since it contains countercurrents and eddies. The river flows, as Serres and Latour put it, “in a turbulent manner and chaotic manner; it percolates. This means precisely that it passes and doesn't pass” (58).  When reflected on, this complexity must make us wonder: How does a present, poised between past and future, allow for both change and stasis? How are we to understand temporal percolations, shifts and turbulences? How do we conceptualize and make sense of the passing of time and of varying time scales? How does time act as an agent of change and how do time-changes affect our actions and endeavors? How can we approach the metamorphoses of time in our scholarly work and teaching practice? These are some of the questions that the conference seeks to explore.   We invite papers from a wide range of disciplines, including but not limited to literature, linguistics, philosophy, film and media studies, art history, theater and visual studies, the environmental humanities.

Possible Topics:

 Cultural, literary and linguistic articulations of time change and temporal experience

 Crisis time and temporal paradoxes of emergency

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 Time shapes and timescapes 
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 Time and speed: dromological perspectives on the contemporary technosphere

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 Time and the long perspectives
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 De/acceleration: aesthetics and practice of slowness

 Deep time and multiscalar temporalities

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 Models of time in different languages
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 Language as a time machine
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 And others
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Guidelines & Timeline for Proposals:

We invite submissions for 20-minute presentations in a variety of formats, including scholarly papers, debates, performances, and creative work overviews.  All presentations will be delivered in English and should balance specialized expertise with accessibility for a general intellectual audience. Proposals should be no longer than 300 words and must be submitted electronically. Authors' names should not be included in the proposal, as the ISST employs a blind review process for selecting papers. Please send your abstract and a short biographical blurb (max. 250 words) to studyoftime@ug.edu.pl by January 15, 2025.

Organizational details:

The conference fee for 3 days is 650 PLN or 150 EUR / 160 USD. Reduced fee for doctoral students is 450 PLN or 105 EUR /110 USD. The organizers will provide lunches and refreshments during the conference. Participants are to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements. For more information about the conference, accommodation options and the Tricity area, please visit the website www.2025conference.pl

Works cited:

Ovid. (2004). Metamorphoses, trans. Ch. Martin. W.W.Norton.

Serres, M., & Latour, B. (1995). Conversations on science, culture, and time. University of Michigan Press.