2026 Research Symposium: Books and Silence, 26–27 November
At long last, perhaps as a measure of our awareness that we’ve been a bit quiet of late, the Centre for the Book is pleased to announce that the theme of this year’s symposium is “Books and Silence.”
In today’s hurried world, noise is everywhere. Do you want the chance to have silence to contemplate, reflect, and escape, with your best friend: the book?
It is time to pen your paper on “Books and Silence.”
“Books and Silence” might suggest an exploration of deep reading, the value of uninterrupted contemplation in environments of disruption and hyper-connection, or the political or cultural implications of censorship. The theme can cover everything from the quiet sanctuary of traditional libraries to the amplification of marginalized voices. Presentations might consider:
The literary and psychological experience of books and reading
- Exploring the lost art of uninterrupted reading and how stepping away from digital distractions restores cognitive focus.
- Questioning how audio books do or do not fit within such a paradigm of reading.
- Analysing how authors utilize ‘silence’—what characters leave unsaid or what is omitted from the narrative—to build suspense, express complex grief, and reveal hidden truths.
- Focusing on silent (wordless or visual) picture books and how they transcend language and cultural barriers to spark communication.
The cultural and social roles of books and libraries
- The examination of the traditional no-talk ‘shoosh’ library to the modern hub of books and bean bags and social spaces. The changing nature of these sanctuaries.
- Censorship and anti-censorship: the silencing or amplification of ideas and thoughts; the fight against book bans and the suppression of marginalized or controversial ideas.
The philosophy of books and how readers interact with them
- Combatting noise, anxiety and constant over-stimulation of the wired life, with mindfulness and quiet engagement with words and ideas.
- The value of physical books and un-networked experience
- How the physical, deliberate silence around reading cultivates an active resistance against machine culture – social, institutional, political, commercial and ideological.
We would welcome interdisciplinary contributions from e.g., Music, Psychology, Theology, Education, or other disciplines.
Suggestions for panels are also welcome.
Deadline
Please send through your abstract of 250 words by 1 September 2026, by email to: books@otago.ac.nz
Date: November 26-27
Plenary address (speaker TBA), Thursday 26 Nov. – Dunningham Suite, City Library Dunedin
All day symposium: Friday 27 November – University of Otago (Arts Building, Burns 2 lecture theatre)
Selection of the papers for the Symposium programme will start after 1 September, and authors will be informed of their successful inclusion mid-September.
The conference will be free to attend, though registration will be required to ensure adequate catering for afternoon tea. The Friday conference presentations will be recorded and made available afterward for viewing by those who register for access, but there will be no livestream or interactive connections on the day of the symposium.
Please contact any of us if you have any further queries:
- Dr Donald Kerr (donaldkerr550@gmail.com);
- Dr Shef Rogers (shef.rogers@gmail.com), or
- Assoc. Prof. Paul Tankard (paul.tankard@otago.ac.nz)