CALL FOR PAPERS
GHOSTS ! A Conversation on the Unreal
Guest publication in ABC (Lucian Blaga University Press, Sibiu, Romania)
So, what are ghosts anyway? What is their epistemological function? As a cognitive phenomenon, “ghosts” have to do with the margins of knowledge, often undermining the stability of our thinking, adding unexpected (and therefore often terrifying) dimensions. They may
be traces of interloping false memory full of superstition, but they can also be true and relevant memories that have been suppressed but are now trying to manifest themselves. In either case, such
ghostly experiences always force us to renegotiate our sense of reality.
We invite experts from different disciplines to share their perspective on the epistemological dimensions of ghosts, hauntings, or on the supernatural and the improbable, in all of its diverse
manifestations, traditional and new theorizations.
Potential topics for papers can range from ghost stories and gothic fantasies to discussions of the uncanny and doppelgangers in Freudian and post-Freudian ways, idealist Hegelian notions of the
Weltgeist, and poststructuralist Derridean Hauntology.
We would like these ‘high-brow’ approaches to be complemented not only with possible examples from ghost-busting popular or even trash culture, but also with folklore studies that discuss the
meaning of ghosts in ethnographic approaches based on field work and examples from many different cultures, such as the continuous power of dead family members in ancestor worship, or the case of
the voodoo zombies and duppies, and other occasions of African American “h’ants.”
Theologians can contribute to our understanding of the unreal by sharing their debates about the resurrection of Christ in the flesh, the nature of other Biblical miracles, or the agency of angels and
devils.
Intercultural discussions of the Other are also welcome, as in the Chinese appellation “gui” for foreigners, and similar cases in other cultural contexts. Historical hoaxes or “Ossianisms” may add to
our discussions as well, or cases of what psychologists call “group speak” that lead to colossal misunderstandings. In a similar context, economists may want to present the case of business “bubbles.”
The aim of this interdisciplinary volume is to gather together experts from diverse fields and share their knowledge of various phenomena of the unreal in the immodest hope that, maybe, this will make it possible for readers to learn more about “the real”—a complicated notion that we put in lower case in order to emphasize its experiential relativity and tenuous constructedness. In an age of fake news, alternative truths, and the absolute rejection of positive knowledge, it is important to learn as much as possible about how knowledge can be framed and how exactly its borderlines can be defined. We want to approach ghosts as an omnipresent epistemological challenge that confronts our experience
with the very foundations of our beliefs.
This special issue follows a very successful conference in Mulhouse in May 2025. We are welcoming additional articles to supplement our collection.
Scientific committee:
• Sämi LUDWIG, UHA Mulhouse
• Régine BATTISTON, UHA Mulhouse
• Maxime LEROY, UHA Mulhouse
• Wolfgang HOCHBRUCK, Universität Freiburg
• Daniel ORTIZ, Universität Basel
• Nicoleta ALEXOAE ZAGNI, Paris 8
• Maxime COULOMBE, Université Laval, Canada
Deadline for contributions:
December 2025. Send you submissions of 8500 words or less to samuel.ludwig@uha.fr
We prefer quality over quantity and expect MLA 9 style; see the web site of ABC: https://abcjournal.eu/sample-page/
Publication in 2026.