Sophia Centre Review

Welcome

Editorial

Welcome to the Sophia Project Review, a new periodic online publication dedicated to the subject areas covered by the Sophia Centre at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. As many of you will know already, the Sophia Centre is concerned with the history and philosophy of astrology and cultural astronomy in all regions and in all time periods. On a broader level its work is encompassed within the study of cosmology and culture. In this first issue we include a Q&A session with staff member Patrick Curry on his new book on Enchantment, a report from student Jessica Heim on the new Journal for Dark Sky Studies, a look at Persian world-year theory and the Covid crisis, and a report on claims that the Neolithic farming revolution was triggered by a comet collision.

The news from the Sophia Centre includes the addition of a new academic program in addition to the MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology. The Centre is now responsible for the MA in Ecology and Spirituality, which was formerly taught jointly with Schumacher College. The Centre will also be stepping up its programme of online Key Concept Lectures. More about these later.

In the area of publication, our staff members and graduates now edit or co-edit a number of journals, including The Journal of Skyscape Archaeology (Liz Henty and Fabio Silva), Time and Mind and Paranthropology (Jack Hunter) and The Ecological Citizen (Patrick Curry). In addition to which, two PhD students have now been awarded their doctorates: Liz Henty (‘Does Archaeoastronomy Have a Role in the Study of British Prehistory? An Examination of Archaeoastronomy’s History and its Place in the Academy’) and Garry Phillipson (‘Astrology and Truth: A Context in Contemporary Epistemology’), about which, also, more later.

The Sophia Centre supports all scholarly work in history and philosophy of astrology and cultural astronomy. If you have any news, please let us know. You can email me at n.campion@uwtsd.ac.uk

Dr. Nicholas Campion