4th Conference

Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
Wednesday-Saturday, Oct. 6-9, 2010

The first two days are held as the Exploratory Seminar on Comparative Mythology at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute.

Major topics:

  • Reconstruction: early stages of mythology
  • Theory: polarities, motif, mytheme, etc.
  • The Hero
  • Myth and politics

Program

Allen, Nick
Oxford University
Homer-Mahabharata comparison and the nature of heroes

Al Maini, Dough
St. Francis Xavier University, N.Scotia
The Evolution of Zeus: From Helladic King to Hellenic Legislator

Antoni, Klaus
Tübingen University
Kojiki, politics, and the comparative study of Japanese mythology 

Bek-Pedersen, Karen
Aberdeen University
Síðu-Hallr and St. Michael

Berezkin, Yuri
Russian Academy, St. Petersburg
announced topic: Diffusion and Principal Components

Bengtson, John
ASLIP, Minneapolis
announced topic: Long range comparative linguistics

van Binsbergen, Wim
Leiden University
Aspects of the hero in the comparative mythology of Africa

Blazek, Vaclav
Brno University, Czech Republic
Purusha and Pangu

Colarusso, John
McMaster University
Ancient linguistic links in western Eurasia
also: Shabby, old fertility gods in Indo-European

Davidson, Holly
Brandeis University
Lives of Poets” myths: Ferdowsi

Elmer, David
Harvard University
announced topic: Politics in the Iliad

Farmer, Steve
Cultural Research group, Palo Alto
announced topic: Myth and politics

Harrod, James
Center for Research on the Origins of Art and Religion, Portland, ME
Evolution of symbol and myth and spirituality: 4 ‘memes’ of cultural evolution from 2 mya

Hillers, Barbara
Harvard University
announced topic: Merseburger Zaubersprüche

Hirafuji, Kikuko
Kokugakuin University,Tokyo
Japanese mythology and nationalism

Kawami, Trudy
Arthur M. Sackler Foundation
Pegasos: the West Asian Origins of the Winged Horse

Lyle, Emily
Polarities
announced topic: Methods: discussion session
also: “The hero who releases the waters and his dragon”.

Matsumura, Kazuo
Wako University, TokyoZoological Mythology in the Modern World

Miller, Dean
Chicago University
The Hero: Late if Not Last Thoughts

Milne, Louise
Edinburgh College of Art
Visual nonsense and infinity: a cross-cultural comparison (hero)

Nagy, Gregory
Harvard University
“Lives of Poets”: Homer

Oguibenine, Boris
Strasbourg University
On the concept of motif in comparative mythology

Ogunbayo, Sola
Redeemer’s University, Mowe, Nigeria
Prophetic Myth in Ben Okri’s Astonishing the Gods and In Arcadia

Olupona, Jacob; Harvard University
announced topic: On Yoruba myth, divination and ritual

Osada, Toshiki
Res. Inst. for Humanity & Nature, Kyoto
announced topic: On Munda myth

Oyeniyi, Bukola Adeyemi
Babaloa University, Ikeji, Nigeria
Yoruba Mythological Hero-Gods and Its Utility in Identity Construction

Pattberg, Thorsten
Peking University
Holy Confucius! Some Observations in Translating “sheng(ren)” in The Analects

Patterson, Nick
MIT/Broad Institute:
announced topic: Human population genetics

Petrosyan, Armen
Inst. of Archaeology and Ethnography, Academy of Sciences, Armenia
Genocide and Ethnogony

Pilbeam, David
Harvard University
announced topic: On early human paleontology and archeology

Sandness, Adela
St. F. Xavier University, N.Scotia
Splitting, Doubling and the Space in-Between: On polarities and their transcendence in the Vedic Myth of Indra and Namuci

Schwerda, Paul
Tübingen University
Trita Aptya in the Veda

Vassilkov, Yaroslav
Russian Acad., St. Petersburg
Epic heroes and gods: in India and beyond

Venbrux, Eric
Nijmegen, NL
announced topic: Australian myth

Wachutka, Michael
Doshisha University, Kyoto
Shinten: The ‘Sacred Scriptures of Shintō as Cultural Memory and Political Ideology”

Witzel, Michael
Harvard University
Deep Reconstruction: applying the methods of historical comparative mythology

Yamada, Hitoshi
Sendai, Japan
announced topic: Austronesian myth

Yanchevskaya, Nataliya
Harvard University
Afterlife in Slavic and Vedic mythology

Zender, Marc
Harvard University
announced topic: On reconstruction of Maya myths


Anticipated Participants

Foote, G.R., ASLIP, Boston
Gray, Elizabeth; Harvard University
Hallisey, Charles; Harvard University
Manuelian, Peter; Harvard University
Machinist, Peter; Harvard University
Patton, Kimberley, Harvard University
Puett, Michael, Harvard University
Skjaervo, Oktor, Harvard University
Steinkeller, Piotr, Harvard University