The editorial board of "Przestrzenie Teorii" invites submissions for a thematic issue of the journal titled: Cosmic Spaces. Theories, aesthetics, and narratives of astroculture
Giving meaning to outer space is a multidimensional process. "Places on Earth can be cities or villages, landmarks or landscapes" – writes Lisa Messeri in the book Placing Outer Space. – "What is particularly important, however, (…) the place suggests an intimacy that can reduce the cosmos to the level of human experience"1. According to the author, the fundamental change in the perception of outer space occurring today consists precisely in characterizing it as a place, which leads to it being regarded no longer as an abyss of loneliness, but as an area in which "searches for cosmic companionship" can be conducted2.
As researchers associated with studies of astroculture, the social theory of the cosmos, archaeoastronomy, or astrocriticism convincingly demonstrate, fundamental transformations in the understanding of the human relationship with the universe were initiated in 1957, with the beginning of the era of space conquest. Today, it is already obvious that the way we perceive the universe constitutes a historical expression of earthly ideas, including all past expectations regarding planetary futures. From here, it is not only close to currents such as astrofuturism or retrofuturism, but also to all critical theories of space that, operating within the field of astroculture studies, are rooted in discourses such as postcolonial thought, posthumanism, gender studies, feminist criticism, ecocriticism, the affective turn, and many others.
The proposed issue aims to examine selected visions of outer space perceived as manifestations of diverse and changing ideas and policies. The theme of space travel, exploration, and the subsequent colonization of other (often terraformed) planets or their moons by humanity has been an interest for decades for both the great masters of science fiction literature and cinema, as well as for the creators of contemporary film blockbusters. Exploited by major studios and media conglomerates, it can simultaneously be inspiring for representatives of all minorities; deeply rooted in the mainstream, it is also addressed from local perspectives, moreover mobilizing a wide variety of aesthetics. Alongside cultural texts (novels, films, series, video games, etc.) in which the vision of cosmic expansion is an extension of the concept of Manifest Destiny, there emerge narratives with a strongly critical potential (e.g., regarding late capitalism), and alongside works documenting the achievements of the era of space conquest, its alternative histories exist.
The proposed issue will be an attempt at a preliminary survey of this vast area and an indication (using selected examples) of the trends emerging within it, in which echoes of various - yet without exception, still "earthly" - ideas resonate. Although cosmic expansion involves a whole series of crossings (exiting the atmospheric boundary, leaving Earth's orbit, the Solar System, etc.), as Alexander Geppert convincingly demonstrates, the more far-reaching the perspectives from which we view space seem to be, the more geocentric they remain, still focusing on the social, racial, class, or gender issues with which our civilization struggles. Addressing these issues seems particularly important and necessary in times of increased interest in space expansion (the returning idea of crewed flights to Mars, building bases on the Moon, the intensive search for exoplanets, discussions related to terraforming, etc.).
Proposed thematic areas:
· outer space in theoretical perspectives,
· astroculture studies and astrocriticism in the horizon of contemporary humanities,
· cosmic expansion in the light of critical theories (astrocriticism, ecocriticism, feminist criticism…),
· visions of space expansion in various cultural texts and media (literature, film, series, video games, and others),
· the motif of terraforming other celestial bodies in relation to neocolonial ideas,
· implementation of the motif of space expansion in currents such as astrofuturism, retrofuturism, afrofuturism, and others,
· not only space art – space travel and its aesthetics (technological sublimity, cosmic sublimity, anthropomorphization of machines...),
· not only NASA – alternative narratives of cosmic expansion in literary texts, films, video games, and others,
· Earth seen from space – the impact of space expansion on the planetary imagination.
Please send texts not exceeding one sheet (40,000 characters including spaces) and ending with a bibliography to the address akraj@amu.edu.pl by the end of March 2026, in two attachments titled: attachment 1 (first name, last name, first words of the title), attachment 2 (first name, last name, table). Please download the Table for Authors from the Pressto website.