Organized Conferences
Conference “For a critique of the myth from Latin America”
Octubre 2024
VIII International Conference on Myth Criticism
I International Colloquium of the Latin American Network of Myth Criticism Pachamama
Presentation and Genesis
Since its inception in the 1960s, myth criticism has evolved considerably within literary and cultural studies. At the dawn of the 21st century, this theoretical trajectory was completed through the formulation of Cultural Mythcriticism—meticulously developed by Professor José Manuel Losada. This framework offers an interdisciplinary and holistic paradigm, under which the ACIS Research Group has successfully spearheaded seven landmark international conferences since 2011.
During the VII Conference held in Madrid (October 2022), a group of international scholars founded a parallel research network tailored to shared regional inquiries: What is the home and role of myth in Latin American cultures? Are the theories of myth developed in Europe sufficient for American realities? To address these questions and deepen the study of the American imaginary, the Latin American Network of Myth Criticism Pachamama was born, working in close harmony with its sister association, Asteria. International Association of Myth Criticism.
Scientific Axes & Calls for Proposals
To foster active academic debate, Pachamama RLM and Asteria AIM invite researchers to submit their proposals structured around three core thematic lines:
Axis 1: Myth and Epistemological Matters
Focuses on theoretical concerns deeply connected to viceroyal and colonial history, exploring the clash of civilizations and the friction between indigenous knowledge and imported European religious or scientific paradigms.
Myths and pre-Columbian religions: the complex problems surrounding their recovery.
Theorizations, methods, and specific Latin American objects of study for myth criticism.
From ethnography to myth criticism: exploring shared communication vessels.
Classical European mythology and its reception within contemporary American cultures.
Culture, magic, and foundational mythic structures within the Latin American imaginary.
Axis 2: Cultural Expressions of Myths
Traces the diverse manifestations of mythic narratives as they travel through different artistic media, shifting from historical oral delivery to performance, rituals, text, and screens.
The recovery of ancient myths and archetypal mythical figures in modern literature.
Myths and religious pantheons of Ancient America as represented in the plastic arts.
Cinema and modern audiovisual media as primary vehicles of cultural recovery.
Oral traditions and the structural survival of myths in marginalized environments.
Axis 3: Myths and Their Political Range
Examines the political dimension where myths serve to construct historical, state-sanctioned discourses, touching upon the boundaries of post-truth, gender, and ecology.
America, Abya Yala, or Cem Anahuac: how an entire continent is semiotically invented.
Coexistence of humans, gods, and non-human entities in Latin American societies.
Myths, political manipulation, ideological structures, and post-truth dynamics.
Myths as functional mechanisms in the processes of recovering historical memory.
Conference “Myth: Theories of a Controversial Concept”
October 2022
VII International Conference on Myth Criticism
Presentation
The VII International Conference on Myth Criticism “Myth: Theories of a Controversial Concept” is an academic initiative developed under the framework of the Aglaya Research Program, funded by the Community of Madrid and the European Social Fund.
Led by the ACIS Research Group (the coordinating cluster of the Aglaya Program), this international gathering relied on its long-standing collaboration with Asteria. International Association of Myth Criticism and Amaltea. Journal of Myth Criticism. The conference was successfully held from October 25th to 28th, 2022.
Scientific Proposal
The existing bibliography on modern reworkings of mythical narratives is immense: Greco-Latin myths in adventure novels, cinematic adaptations of Celtic, Norse, or Slavic lore, TV series, comics, and the complex cross-cultural links between Eastern and Western traditions. However, this vast list is disproportionately large compared to the significantly smaller body of work dedicated to the actual theories of myth.
This clear imbalance stems from the difficulty of abstracting general criteria. To define a myth, critics must strip a narrative of its spatial, temporal, and circumstantial conditioning before safely applying the theoretical label of “myth” to any given story.
Contemporary Challenges in Defining Myth
The conference addresses the main theoretical obstacles that complicate the study of myth for academic researchers and the public alike:
The pressures of globalization, the dogmas of radical relativism, and the internal logics of immanence muddy structural boundaries, leading to a profound contemporary confusion regarding the core concept of myth.
Following the footprints of historic psychoanalysts and ideologues, researchers frequently reduce myth to individual sublimations, social deformations, or political propaganda, while media sensationalism treats any popular fallacy or lie as a “myth.”
A prevailing critical challenge is the indiscriminate blurring of boundaries across distinct domains of the human imaginary. Coherent, rigorous studies are urgently needed to dispel this vagueness and establish solid distinctions separating esotericism, fantasy, science fiction, and genuine mythology.
Conference Objective: By gathering leading international experts, the 7th International Conference aimed to provide answers to these fundamental epistemological questions, establishing precise, contemporary criteria for the academic critique of the imaginary.
Conference “Myth and Science Fiction”
October 2020
VI International Conference on Myth Criticism
Presentation
The VI International Conference on Mythcriticism “Myth and Science Fiction” is a major academic initiative developed under the auspices of the Aglaya Research Program, funded by the Community of Madrid and the European Social Fund.
Led by the ACIS Research Group (the main coordinating cluster of the Aglaya Program), this international gathering relied on the permanent co-organizational support of Asteria. International Association of Myth Criticism and Amaltea. Journal of Myth Criticism. The sessions were successfully hosted online and on-site from October 27th to 30th, 2020.
Scientific Proposal
It is a common platitude that myth and science fiction are poor companions. While this bold statement attempts to carve out distinct academic boundaries, it requires careful nuance. Both myth and science fiction seek to explain the cosmos and answer humanity’s everlasting questions: the ultimate origins of life and the inescapable causes of death.
Rather than offering simple explanations, both narratives project human contradictions into unprecedented circumstances, forcing us to make value judgments. Through the projective capacity of our imagination, they put forward improbable scenarios that allow us to view the consequences of future situations in an entirely new light.
Anxieties of Our Time: Shared Narrative Vessels
Much like ancient mythology, science fiction acts as a mirror for contemporary existential apprehensions, capturing the cultural anxieties of the industrial and digital ages:
The terrifying, immeasurable consequences of playing with primeval forces and modern weaponry, iconographically embodied by figures like Godzilla.
The looming ecological collapse or resource exhaustion driving the absolute necessity to leave Earth behind (e.g., Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?).
The profound biological fear of corporate overreach and the questionable manipulation of human identity through cloning, genetics, and synthetic life forms (e.g., The Island).
Where does myth start and where does it end? How far can science fiction expand? What specific meanings emerge where these two powerful narratives intersect? When analyzing these boundaries, the ultimate criterion to distinguish myth from science fiction remains the nature of transcendence inherent to each case.
Check the complete Scientific Proposal (PDF)
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Conference “Myth and Audiovisual Creation”
October 2018
V International Conference on Myth Criticism
Presentation & Decentralized Venues
The V International Conference on Mythcriticism “Myth and Audiovisual Creation” represents an extensive scientific milestone designed as a decentralized network of research across four major university campus sites according to targeted mythic typologies:
📍 University of Alcalá (UAH)
📍 Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM)
📍 Universidad Francisco de Vitoria (UFV)
📍 Complutense University of Madrid (UCM)
Led by the ACIS Research Group, this event was held from October 15th to 26th, 2018, with the permanent collaboration of Asteria and Amaltea. Revista de Mitocrítica. The academic sessions were supported by an extensive program of cultural parallel activities, including concerts, screenings, film debates, and an art exhibition housed in the “El Águila” cultural center.
Scientific Objectives
1. Aesthetics of Sight and Sound: The Mimesis Principle
By calling into play image and sound, this conference isolates the vast spectrum of the imaginary into a core typology: the traditional image (representing expected reality) and the innovative image (forged by unforeseen associations with no real previous referent). When coupled with an artistic dimension, we define it as visual creation.
Conversely, sound exists strictly in the physical plane, compensated by the expressive layers of the human voice and musical instrumentation to create audible creation. Together, these processes lead directly back to the Aristotelian principle of mimesis: human artistic creations as a deliberate re-creation of the world through interwoven sights and sounds.
2. The Digital Turn and Cinematic Deconstruction
This technological shift is deeper than the historical incorporation of sound or color, comparable only to the ancient evolutionary leap from stone tablets to wood, paper, and the printing press. It alters every stage of the industry:
The digitization of image and sound allows virtual characters to project irresistible, plausible realism (e.g., Gollum in Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings; the Na’vi in Cameron’s Avatar) across multi-platform displays (Smart TVs, HD, and 3D).
The industrial monopoly historically held by massive corporations has broken down in favor of independent film distribution via the internet (e.g., Oren Peli’s Paranormal Activity), giving rise to digital natives as an autonomous consumer profile.
3. Semiotics and Cybernetic Codification in Video Games
This structural transformation in modern cinema mirrors the rise of the video game through a deep evolution of human communication codes. While humanity traditionally used alphabetic or musical codes, and industrialization introduced mechanical codes (the typewriter), the computer age introduced a third code: the digital processor language.
The Interactive Illusion: Because numerical encryption and decryption processes remain hidden to the senses, players experience a deep cognitive fascination. The consumer confuses the material apparatus with the underlying programming code, feeling like an active author of the process. The gamer is seamlessly integrated into the “miracle,” using simple manual gestures to directly intervene in adventures where they were once a passive spectator.
Conference “Myth and Emotions”
October 2016
IV International Conference on Myth Criticism
Presentation
The IV International Conference of Myth Criticism “Myth and Emotions” was established through the joint scientific collaboration of Asteria. Asociación Internacional de Mitocrítica, Amaltea. Revista de Mitocrítica, the ACIS Research Group, and the Acis & Galatea Project.
The Organizing Committee invites international researchers to provide—either through theoretical reflection or textual analysis—their methodological principles and practical approaches regarding the combined relationship between mythic narratives and the logic of emotions across contemporary literature and art from 1900 to the present day.
Scientific Objectives
This conference carries out a profound reflection on the structural bonds between mythology and emotion. Progress in the fields of cognitive science and psychology demonstrates that contemporary human behavior depends far less on purely rational causes than on emotional ones. Our current consumer society frequently transforms these impulsive emotional triggers into functional stereotypes.
Psychological Vectors of Emotional Logic
Drawing from disciplines like psychobiology and social psychology, the conference addresses the basic traits of emotions that systematically adjust rational logic:
The baseline existence and perception of a preceding external or cognitive occurrence that interrupts the rational state.
Intense, fleeting, and interconnected physical and psychological experiences that shape immediate responses to the world.
An immediate instinctual distinction between agreeable and disagreeable circumstances, inducing corresponding attraction or rejection patterns that heavily condition private and social motivations.
Myth criticism must trace the paths where the rhetoric of individual and social psychology intersects with cultural practice. To achieve this, targeted papers analyzed the following dimensions:
The emotional mechanisms through which audiences connect with mythic symbols, establishing therapeutic or ideological alignment.
The close boundaries separating deep mythic awe from modern aesthetics of terror, psychological estrangement, and the uncanny.
Ultimately, this international meeting provides interpretive models capable of unpacking these mythical-emotional phenomena, helping researchers decode the underlying thought systems governing modernity and postmodernity.
“El ojo crítico” (October 24, 2016)
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Conference “Myths in Crisis. The Crisis of Myth”
October 2014
III International Conference on Myth Criticism
Presentation
The International Conference “Myths in Crisis. The Crisis of Myth” emerges as a major joint initiative driven by the National Research Project I+D “New forms of myth: an interdisciplinary methodology”, the Research Group on Myth Criticism ACIS, Amaltea. Journal of Myth Criticism, and Asteria. International Association of Myth Criticism.
The Organizing Committee brings together international researchers to contribute—either through theoretical reflection or textual analysis—their methodological principles and practical approaches to the complex issue of the crisis of ancient, medieval, and modern myths within contemporary literature and the arts.
Scientific Objectives
Is it true that myth, as a product of human beings, is born, grows, reproduces, and dies? While the first three stages are well-documented, this conference seeks to analyze whether—in the 20th and 21st centuries—myths die or adapt. The goal is to define the conditions of their evolution and discern whether their crises bring about a resurgence or final erasure.
Analyzed Scenarios and Typologies of Crisis
The environment changes until it demands an adjustment in the context of its myths. For instance, the traditional Western angel trades its Christian qualities for modern New Age and aesthetic dimensions; or the Holy Grail, which shifts from an afterlife sacrament to a remedy for earthly immortality or a personal search (Indiana Jones).
Loss of structural anchors and modern credibility. The Comendatore in the Don Juan myth faces the historical loss of his office and the modern implausibility of a moving statue. 20th-century authors (Frisch, Montherlant) rewrite this dramaturgical myth to navigate how it fares against the theater crisis brought on by film.
Crisis as an internal engine of the mythic system. In the myth of Pygmalion, the soft, shifting ivory of Ovidian roots transforms in the 20th century (Shaw, Cukor, Niccol) into a psychological barrier tracking the impossibility and crisis of modern love, casting aside canonical motifs to adapt to modern romance.
The tragic boundaries between creator and creation. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus (1818) and its dozens of modern film adaptations trap the protagonist within his own fate: the monster cannot outlive his maker. Modern iterations face similar impasses through the structural limits of cyborgs and androids.
The example of Germanic mythology, where gods are not eternal and remain locked in an endless struggle against envious enemies. The “twilight of the gods” shows that death and rebirth are not literary crises; they are fully literary devices that create literature, bringing deep implications to a modern culture detached from eternity.
Call for Papers Guidelines: Each proposal may broach the subject with complete intellectual and methodological freedom. The only strict prerequisites are respecting the chronological boundaries (20th and 21st centuries), the targeted fields (literature, visual arts, and performance), and maintaining myth as the core analytical theme of the paper.
Conference “Myth and Interdisciplinarity”
October 2012
International Conference on Myth and Interdisciplinarity
Presentation and Institutional Framework
The International Conference on Myth and Interdisciplinarity arises as a direct result of the research synergies established by the Contemporary Myth Anthropology Research Project, the UCM-CAM Research Group ACIS, and Amaltea. Journal of Myth Criticism.
Brings together the active collaboration of the Faculties of Languages, Information Sciences, Fine Arts, and Translation and Interpretation, drawing support from researchers across 18 UCM departments.
Cooperates closely with the Consolider Project “Cosmogony and Eschatology in Eastern Mediterranean Religions” (MEC), with recent institutional backing from Asteria. International Association of Myth Criticism.
The Organizing Committee invites the scientific community to provide methodological principles and practical approaches on the pervivence of ancient, medieval, and modern myths in contemporary literature and the arts, alongside critical debates on myths transmitted via mass media and new information technologies.
Scientific Objectives
Throughout history, myths have transformed alongside intellectual, political, and social developments. This inherent elasticity calls for updated taxonomies capable of distinguishing between ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary myths; dominant and recessive forms; oral and literalized manifestations; as well as explicit versus implicit expressions.
During the 20th and 21st centuries, artistic and literary productions have undergone profound shifts compared to their canonical sources, driven by global phenomena like decolonization and social evolution:
Perceval continues his quest, yet shifts his focus from the Holy Grail to a modern woman (Lodge, 1984); vampires break free from their historical diabolical bonds (Meyer, 2007); and plastic arts construct a walkable Cyclops Polyphemus where children can wander safely inside its massive structure (Tinguely & Saint Phalle, 1994).
Contemporary photography frames “sleeping beauties” as calculated simulacra of athletic icons (Taylor-Wood, 2004), while modern filmmakers exploit historical gaps within historical biographies to amplify, diminish, or subvert the mythic profile of key figures (Bondarchuk, Hirschbiegel, Snyder, Singer).
The primary objective of this conference is to decode the underlying causes behind this structural versatility, while a secondary goal focuses on tracing the cultural consequences of the rapid proliferation of new digital media.
Academic Impact: Addressing a notable gap in the research landscape, this conference combines disparate criteria into a definitive, unified framework, providing concrete steps and models essential for interpreting postmodern manifestations and current social dynamics.
Conference “Myth and Subversion in the Contemporary Novel”
March 2011
I International Conference on Myth Criticism
Presentation
The International Conference on “Myth and Subversion in the Contemporary Novel” constituted the first major milestone of scientific convergence derived from the works of the Amaltea Journal of Myth Criticism, the Contemporary Myth Anthropology Research Project, and the ACIS Research Group.
Coordinated through the active collaboration of the Faculties of Philology, Information Sciences, Fine Arts, and Translation and Interpretation at the Complutense University of Madrid.
Brought together top-tier international researchers to establish clear interpreting criteria regarding the subversion of myth in contemporary art forms and narrative prose.
Scientific Objectives
Whether implicitly or explicitly, myths have always played an important role in the novel. While traditional criticism attempts to identify them and interpret their structural functions, subversion emerges in postmodernity as a frequent, highly intense, and versatile resource exploited within contemporary long-form fiction.
This close combination between mythic narrative and its deconstruction responds to deep cultural dynamics driving our contemporary society:
The historical predominance of positivist thought over mythical thought, paired with a profoundly modified understanding of transcendence in modern times.
The ongoing search for new formal and linguistic procedures that deliberately deviate from the rigid characteristics of traditional mythological discourse.
Our current societies demonstrate an astounding capacity to create and destroy “consumer myths” with incredible rapidity (film stars, sportspeople, luxury brands). This media invasion dilutes historical meanings and inevitably entails its own built-in subversion.
Since a unified methodology to study the subversive adjustments of myths did not yet exist, this extensive collective framework brought concrete solutions to better interpret a vast amount of post-modern writing.
Protean nature of the meeting: Thanks to its markedly interdisciplinary scope, the panels featured active contributions from fields such as painting, sculpture, drawing, film, music, opera, and dance—confirming that the contemporary novel is an open ecosystem ready for all kinds of artistic subversion of myth.
Other
Other International Colloquia and Seminars
📍 University of Extremadura (Badajoz) | 📅 June 1-2, 2017
An interdisciplinary meeting focused on the analysis of geographical representations, the semiotics of space, and the construction of identity narratives through landscape in contemporary literature and culture.
📍 Complutense University of Madrid | 📅 April 21-23, 2010
Organized in collaboration with the Association of French Teachers of the Spanish University (APFUE), focusing its core research areas on philological ties, translation, and mythic reception within the Francophone sphere.
📍 Complutense University of Madrid | 📅 April 21-23, 2008
An international symposium specialized in the formal, structural, and thematic mutations of the French novel, with particular emphasis on the endurance of the imaginary and the paradigm crises of the narrative genre.
Organized Seminaries
Research Seminars and Academic Cycles
Seminars on Cultural Mythcriticism
📍 Complutense University | 📅 March – April 2025
Held in the Meeting Room. It included 9 lectures followed by academic discussion rounds, with a certified attendance of 40 participants (Edition A).
📍 Complutense University | 📅 February – March 2024
Held in the Meeting Room. Structured around 9 lectures and debate panels, registering an attendance of 35 participants (Edition A).
📍 Complutense University | 📅 April 2023
The foundational cycle of the series held in the Meeting Room, structured across three intensive sessions featuring 9 papers and specialized discussion rounds on the methodological bases of the discipline.
Emerging Fields: Video Games and Landscape Narratives
📍 Complutense University | 📅 October 23, 2024
Advanced session focused on the transmedia analysis of interactive mythic structures. Attendance: 20 researchers and students.
📍 Complutense University | 📅 October 18, 2023
Inaugural meeting dedicated to the hermeneutics of mythological narratives within entertainment software. Attendance: 15 participants.
📍 University of Extremadura | 📅 June 1-2, 2017
A high-impact international meeting co-directed alongside Professor Eloy Martos Núñez, focusing on the analysis of mythic spaces and modern literary cartographies.
Inter-University Seminars on French Literature
📍 University of Navarra (Pamplona) | 📅 Year 1992
A monographic edition entirely dedicated to the study of “French Poetics of the 20th Century” and its connection with contemporary critical imagery.
📍 University of Navarra (Pamplona) | 📅 Year 1991
Inaugural session that laid the operational foundations for inter-university scientific exchange surrounding French and philological studies.
Round tables
Round Tables and Scientific Outreach
Round Table: “Myth and the Publishing Market Today”
📍 Complutense University of Madrid | 📅 November 3, 2021
A high-level debate focusing on the challenges of the book industry and the enduring relevance of imaginary structures within contemporary commercial catalogs. Features prominent leaders from the sector:
• Manuel Borrás (Director of Editorial Pre-Textos)
• Sandra Ollo (Director of Editorial Acantilado)
• Jesús Espino (Deputy Director of Ediciones Akal)
• Elena Martínez Bavière (Executive Editor of Taurus and Debate)
• Basilio Rodríguez Cañada (Director of Sial Pigmalión)
📍 Complutense University of Madrid | 📅 November 12, 2020
An analytical breakdown exploring the iconic and symbolic persistence of two major mythic motifs across audiovisual and cinematographic productions.
• Anita Wonham (TVE Scriptwriter): The Sirens
• Moisés Rodríguez (TVE Presenter and Film Critic): The Grail
📍 Complutense University of Madrid | 📅 November 5, 2019
An interdisciplinary debate on technological intersections, dystopian futures, and the shifting boundaries of transcendence within modern cinema and narrative fiction.
• Moisés Rodríguez (TVE Presenter and Film Critic)
• Rosa Falcón (PhD in Social and Political Sciences)