UC Riverside's Eaton Conference is
a premier academic conference devoted to the study of science
fiction and the interrelations
of science and the humanities.
The conference was begun in 1979. Of past conferences, nineteen
have been held at UC Riverside, other have taken place at
international venues, co-sponsored by UCR and various host
institutions: London Polytechnic University,1984; The
Sorbonne-Nouvelle, 1986; University of Leeds, 1989; Texas A&M
University, 1990; the Maison d'Ailleurs, Yverdon-les-bains, and
the Université de Neuchâtel, 1991; Imperial College, London,
1995; the Chinese University of Hong-Kong, 2000, and the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle in 2005.
The conference was conceived to
bring together academics from all disciplinary areas,
scientists, writers, and editors. Its stated purpose was to
establish science fiction studies as a serious academic
discipline, and to introduce prominent academic critics to SF
literature, film and culture. As keynote speakers, it has
hosted such luminaries as: Harry Levin, Harold Bloom, Leslie
Fiedler, Robert Scholes, Frederic Jameson, Gerald Prince, Eric
Rabkin, Bruce Franklin, Tom Shippey, Frank McConnell, Patrick
Parrinder, Edward James, Mark Rose, and many others.
Writer-guests include Brian Aldiss, Theodore Sturgeon, Roger
Zelazny, Tom Disch, David Brin, Greg Bear, Arthur C. Clarke
(via satellite), Samuel R. Delany, Gregory Benford, Lewis
Shiner, Larry Niven, and Robert Silverberg. Scientist guests
have included Harold Bloom, Leslie Fiedler, Fredric Jameson,
Harry Levin, Marvin Minsky and Robert Scholes. All of the above
guests of honor have contributed significant papers to
conference volumes.
The Eaton Conference has produced or contributed to 25 publications. These have been published by various academic presses, and have essentially put science fiction studies on the academic map. Most of these volumes are still in print today, and continue to shape the field.