Violence and Millenarian Movements – Symposium at Panacea Museum

The Centre for the Critical Study of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements (CenSAMM) is an initiative of the Panacea Charitable Trust in Bedford, UK and is led by Panacea trustees, Justin Meggitt (University Senior Lecturer in the Critical Study of Religion, University of Cambridge) and Christopher Rowland (retired in 2014 as Dean Ireland’s Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford).

Its aim is to develop and maintain a world centre of excellence in the critical study of apocalyptic and millenarian movements and aid the public understanding of the legacies and future possibilities of these crucial, creative and often misunderstood forms of human culture.

Following a successful partnership with Queens University Belfast last year with a symposium examining the “Gender of Apocalypse”, the work of the Centre continues in April with a symposium that examines “Violence and Millenarian Movements”. The conference will take place in a traditional marquee in the Panacea Museum Gardens and will also be broadcast live over the internet. The conference has attracted both national and international attention with presenters from across the UK, the US, Canada, Sweden, Spain and Australia taking part. Audience members are encouraged to join in the discussions.

The conference will be preceded by a two-day film festival, drawing from millennial movements and their apparent connection to violence. Highlighting both traditional and alternative religious movements, the selections will explore a number of recurring themes: environmental concerns; familial and societal breakdown; prophecy; ancient “wisdom”; conspiracy theories.

This is a chance to be part of something ground-breaking at a time in our history when apocalyptic thinking is on the rise. Making sense of contemporary events through insights into history and through apocalypticism generally, offers new perspectives, experience and balance.

CenSAMM Film Festival, April 4-5th 2017, Panacea Museum, Newnham Ave, Bedford.

The films will be introduced by Dr David G. Robertson of the Open University and the Religious Studies Project, and the floor will be open to comment and discussion following each film.

April 4th – Noah (Darren Aronofsky, 2014), Left Behind (Vic Armstrong, 2014)
April 5th – The Last Wave (Peter Weir, 1977), 2012 (Roland Emmerich, 2009)
(screening times to be announced)

For more information visit www.censamm.org or contact Project Director, Simon Robinson.
Email: simonrobinson@panaceatrust.org