Fairytale Geographies: Folklore, Setting, and the Supernatural
4th to 7th October 2027
Odense, Denmark
Fairytale Geographies: Folklore, Setting, and the Supernatural
4-7 October 2027, Odense and Copenhagen, Denmark
https://islanddynamics.org/conferences/fairytalegeographies/
Folktales and fairytales (broadly defined) are often studied in terms of their plots, motifs, themes, characters, and social meanings. Less attention is paid to the settings in which they occur. Yet setting is not a passive backdrop in traditional oral and literary written narratives. It is a dynamic force that shapes character, drives plot, and bridges the gap between the mundane and the miraculous.
From the depths of the Central European forests, to the bottom of the sea; from the liminal spaces of bogs, crossroads, and seashores, to haunted mansions and gingerbread houses; from bustling city streets, to the mundanity of the farmhouse; from the lofty halls of Heaven to the gloom of the Underworld, the geography of the fairytale is always alive with meaning.
This conference explores how landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes, and other geographies function within traditional narratives. Tradition is not something of the past; it exists in the present and influences the creation and recreation of fairytales and folktales today. The conference is thus not limited to discussions of narratives recorded or written by folklorists, authors, literati, or antiquarians in previous centuries. It also encompasses tales that proliferate as texts and videos across social media, internet streaming services, and in movie theatres as well as those that are continually reinvented by new authors for new audiences and published in traditional print media. Still-emergent forms such as serialised internet fiction and ultrashort video dramas represent frontiers of traditional narrative.
At this international academic conference, we invite submissions to explore this neglected aspect of fairytales and folktales. The conference takes place in the Danish city of Odense, birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, the world's most celebrated fairytale author. The conference proper will be held in the fantastic setting of Odense Zoo, followed by two days of fairytale study trips and explorations in Odense and Copenhagen.
Presentations are sought concerning tales from around the world. The conference is interdisciplinary but may be especially interesting for researchers from folklore studies, human geography, literature studies, history, and anthropology. Potential perspectives include:
- how settings afford or do not afford certain tale types and motifs
- how settings reflect or interact with cultural, social, economic, political, and environmental hopes and fears
- lost or understudied topographies of the past, real or imagined
- how specific historical events (extreme weather, epidemic, colonial incursions) altered the physical settings of classic tale types
- how classic illustrated print editions of other artworks of literary fairy tales contributed to the construction of stereotypical fairytale landscapes
- how tale settings establish (or break down) physical and moral boundaries between the domestic sphere and the wild
- similarities and differences between the settings of tales in oral, literary, and video forms and across different media
- comparative approaches across geographies (for example, the diverse realms of the dead that appear in the Greek tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, the Scottish Sir Orfeo, the Indian Maudgalyayana, and the Chinese Mulian).
Abstract submission
If you wish to give a presentation at the conference, please submit your proposal via the abstract submission form: https://islanddynamics.org/abstractsubmission
Abstracts should be 150-200 words long and must not include citations or references. After submission, your proposal will be reviewed, and the organisers will respond with a decision as soon as possible. The earlier you submit your proposal, the earlier you will receive the decision. All presentations will be in English. The first deadline for abstracts is 28 February 2027 (permitting early registration).
Schedule
3 October: Arrival in Odense
4-5 October: Conference presentations at Odense Zoo
6 October: Study trip in Odense, including visits to the Hans Christian Andersen Museum and Hans Christian Andersen's Childhood Home
7 October: Study trip in Copenhagen, including visit to Tivoli Gardens.
Publication opportunity and discount
This conference is organised in association with the peer reviewed, non-fee charging open access journal Folk, Knowledge, Place (https://folkknowledgeplace.org). Presenters are strongly encouraged to submit papers to the journal. When submitting, follow the instructions here: https://folkknowledgeplace.org/for-authors
If you wish for your paper to be published in advance of the conference, the first deadline for submissions is 31 January 2027 (permitting for early registration). Although we strongly encourage article submissions, it is not necessary to submit a paper to the journal or to have a paper accepted for publication in order to participate in the conference. All submissions will undergo double-blind peer review and must follow the journal's ordinary submission requirements. To learn more about journal publication, please contact co-Editor-in-Chief Adam Grydehøj (agrydehoj@islanddynamics.org).
Authors who have had a paper accepted for publication in the journal in the 12 months prior to the conference can register for the conference at half price (adjusted for each registration category) upon request. If you have already paid the registration fee, this portion of the registration fee can be refunded to you. For multi-authored papers, this discount is available to only one author.
Conference registration
In order to make the conference affordable to as many people as possible, we have created three registration packages:
Basic registration: Includes attendance at the conference presentations on 4-5 October. Includes all lunches and admission to Odense Zoo. Early registration fee: 700 Singapore Dollars.
Partial registration: Includes attendance at the conference presentations on 4-5 October and the Odense study trip on 6 October. Includes all lunches and admission to Odense Zoo, Hans Christian Andersen Museum, and Hans Christian Andersen's Childhood Home. Early registration fee: 900 Singapore dollars.
Full registration: Includes attendance at the conference presentations on 4-5 October; the Odense study trip on 6 October; and the Copenhagen study trip on 7 October. Includes all lunches; Odense-Copenhagen train ticket; and admission to Odense Zoo, Hans Christian Andersen Museum, Hans Christian Andersen's Childhood Home, and Tivoli Gardens. Early registration fee: 1100 Singapore dollars.
Registration does not include accommodation. The deadline for filling out the early registration form is 28 February 2027, after which fees on all registration categories will rise by 250 Singapore dollars. The final deadline for registration is 31 May 2027. To register, fill out the registration form here: https://islanddynamics.org/conferences/registration
Within the following few days, you will be sent an invoice (payable by credit or debit card) using the information included in the registration form. Payment of the registration fee is due within one month after you have received the invoice.
Travel and accommodation
The most convenient way of reaching Odense is to fly into Copenhagen or Billund in Denmark and then take the high-speed train. There are numerous hotels in Odense, but we recommend that delegates stay near Odense Station, from which it is a short walk to both the old medieval centre and train/bus connections to Odense Zoo. Milling Hotel Plaza is an option for those seeking a standard hotel experience, while Cabinn Odense offers tiny, basic rooms at a low price. For those following the conference to Copenhagen, we recommend a hotel near Tivoli Gardens and the Central station, such as ProfilHotels Copenhagen Plaza or the basic option of Cabinn City. The conference organisers can provide an invitation letter to be used for visa applications but can only do so after the registration fee has been paid.
Co-convenors: Adam Grydehøj (School of Foreign Languages, South China University of Technology) and Ping Su (School of Foreign Languages, South China University of Technology)
Organisers: Island Dynamics and School of Foreign Languages, South China University of Technology
https://islanddynamics.org/conferences/fairytalegeographies/
Enquiries: agrydehoj@islanddynamics.org
Web address: https://islanddynamics.org/conferences/fairytalegeographies/
