CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS:

JIS SYMPOSIUM 2025: C.S. LEWIS & J.R.R. TOLKIEN:
THE PROMISE OF CHRISTIAN FAIRYTALES

HILTON PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, USA
1-2 AUGUST 2025

Suggested Themes:

It is not an exaggeration to state that, in the long shadows of the twentieth century, a remarkable fellowship of British Medievalists known as the Inklings Christianized the Western literary canon.  In their award-winning book, The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, Philip and Carol Zalecki conclude that a small group of romantics and fantasists sought to revitalize literature and faith in the twentieth century’s darkest years.  Lewis’ Narnia narratives and Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings offered Christian fairytales as a conduit for re-enchanting the modern world.  Arguably, the Inklings revitalized the ancient genre of the Quest for the Holy Grail that fascinates readers across centuries with its great themes of voyages, challenges, conquest, self-conquest, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil.  The question arises whether Christian fairytales may redeem the postmodern temper steeped in a cultural morass of relativism, subjectivism, and nihilism, where many are seduced by a secular marketplace offering high-tech substitutes for self-realization.  Can Lewis’ and Tolkien’s moral imagination inspire a renewed optimism in the human capacities of reason, faith, love, and compassion?  In sum, can Christian fairytales restore a fractured postmodern self by envisioning a more felicitous human nature in pursuit of the classical virtues of beauty, truth, and goodness, nurturing families and communities, and aspiring to transcendence?

C.S. LEWIS & J.R.R. TOLKIEN  2025  SYMPOSIUM  GUIDELINES:

C.S. LEWIS & J.R.R. TOLKIEN JIS Symposium 2025 endeavors to bring together scholars from a wide range of disciplines and denominations for an exciting international conference that takes both scholarship and faith seriously.  Conference Venue: JIS Symposium 2025 is co-sponsored by IIR-ICSA-JIS in the City of the Roses–the world-famous Tournament of Roses–in sunny Southern California, with many cultural/sightseeing opportunities.  Send Abstracts (250 words) to: Dr. O. Gruenwald, JIS Editor, 1065 Pine Bluff Dr., Pasadena, CA 91107, USA, per e-mail (no attachments) by: March 15, 2025 to: JIS Symposium 2025 (click for e-mail).  Include: Paper Title, First & Last Name, faculty or student, mailing address, phone & e-mail.  Publication: Fully-developed papers will be considered for publication in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies XXXVIII 2026. Symposium Web:  https://www.jis3.org/symposium2025.  Registration: Zoom participants must preregister: donation (tax-deductible).  For those wishing to visit Pasadena, contact: www.visitpasadena.com.

CONFERENCE STRUCTURE:

Check-In: Friday, August 1, 3:00 – 6:00 PM, Hilton Pasadena. Reception: Friday, August 1, 7:00 – 8:00 PM: Coffee Corner. Main Conference Program: Saturday, August 2, 8:45 AM – 5:45 PM: Monterey Room. Keynote: Saturday, August 1: Monterey Room. Format: Multidisciplinary panels and papers. Participants are encouraged to attend the entire conference to enhance dialogue, synergy, and synthesis, as well as fellowship. Presenting a paper is not a prerequisite for participation. Indicate if you prefer to serve as discussant. Family members enjoy the reduced student registration rate. Audio-Visual Equipment: Bring laptop or flash drive if desired for PowerPoint presentation. Cultural/Sightseeing: Before or after the conference. Optional Field Trips: Huntington Library & Gardens; Norton Simon Museum; JPL.

_____________________________________________________________________

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATIONS:

Lodging: We recommend that conference participants make their hotel reservations as soon as possible. Hilton Pasadena Reservations: 1-800-445-8667 or 626-577-1000. Cultural/sightseeing/ travel/accommodations: Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau: www.visitpasadena.com; 1-800-307-7977. Bring an alarm clock and a sweater or jacket for cooler mornings and evenings. Ground Transportation: Hilton Pasadena (168 S. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101) may be reached from the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) via shuttles, e.g., Prime Time Shuttle (shared ride $64): 1-800-733-8267, or rent-a-car (ca. 45-minute drive).

C.S. LEWIS & J.R.R. TOLKIEN  2025  REGISTRATION  FORM:

First and Last Name (Please Print)____________________________________________________________________________

Institution/Street Address _______________________________________________________________________________

City __________________________________________ State ____________________________ ZIP______________

Telephone ________________________________ E-Mail ______________________________________________

Print: JIS Symposium 2025 Call for Papers and send Money Order/Travelers Check in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank, payable to: ICSA.  Mail Form & Payment to: Dr. O. Gruenwald, Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, 1065 Pine Bluff Dr., Pasadena, CA 91107, USA.  For Credit Card: Use PayPal Donate Button.