Call for Papers: “Atmospheres of the Spiritual”

Call for Papers: “Atmospheres of the Spiritual”
December 4–5, 2025 | Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
Sponsored by the Center for Body, Mind, and Culture

The Center for Body, Mind, and Culture at Florida Atlantic University invites paper proposals for a conference on “Atmospheres of the Spiritual,” to be held on December 4–5, 2025, at FAU’s Boca Raton campus.

Building on last year’s fruitful conference, “Somaesthetics of Atmosphere” (generously supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund), this year’s event focuses on the concept of spiritual atmosphere. Beyond its climatological meaning, atmosphere refers to the prevailing tone, mood, or ambience of a place, situation, or work of art. This metaphorical shift—from the physical to the affective—is understandable, as enveloping air and weather shape mood and feeling by affecting the soma: the living, sentient, purposive body.

Like the soma, atmosphere resists neat categorization within conventional binaries such as object/subject or physical/mental. Atmospheres are a liminal phenomenon that challenge rigid dualisms—just as somaesthetics does. Atmospheres of the spiritual are especially elusive to define or create due to their intangible, often ineffable nature. Yet we frequently recognize and somatically experience them: in ritual and meditative practices (both religious and secular), in constructed spaces or sublime natural settings, in artistic experiences, and in profound moments of interpersonal connection or communion with our environment.

Such atmospheres can be powerfully healing to both body and mind, fostering connection among individuals and communities. Given their significance, elusiveness, and diversity of form and context—from religion to nature and the arts—this conference will explore spiritual atmospheres to deepen our understanding of what they are, how they function, how their effects might be measured, and how they can be designed and cultivated to enhance human flourishing.

We welcome submissions from a range of disciplinary perspectives across the humanities (including medical humanities), social sciences, and the arts. Selected papers may be considered for publication in The Journal of Somaesthetics or for inclusion in an edited volume in the Brill book series Studies in Somaesthetics.

Submission Guidelines:

Please email a 250–300 word abstract and a CV to shuster1@fau.edu and bodymindculture@gmail.com.

Deadline for submissions: August 30, 2025
Notification of acceptance: September 30, 2025