Star Gazing: Astrology and Astronomy in the Medieval and Renaissance Imagination

Since human beings first looked up at the heavens, the stars and other celestial bodies have played a crucial role in how people have made sense of the cosmos, their societies and the bodies they inhabit.  On April  10-11, 2026, the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies will host its biennial celebration of Popular Culture and the Deep Past (PCDP) at the Ohio State University on the topic of “Star Gazing: Astrology and Astronomy in the Medieval and Renaissance Imagination.”

As in past years, this event will feature a scholarly conference with papers, round tables and keynote lectures by prominent scholars, nested within a Renaissance-faire-like carnival featuring exhibits, gaming, contests, live demonstrations and activities of all kinds. 

This event encourages participants to blur the boundary between what is too easily characterized as an older worldview based in astrology and other superstitions, and the apparently more rational and proto-scientific worldview of astronomy that championed empirical observation along with new techniques and instruments.  It will be fascinating to learn how these two systems overlapped and informed one another both in practice and across a range of representations like art and literature.  Astrological beliefs and practices live on into the present and still shape the way many of us see reality.

We will host paper presentations from faculty, graduate students and others that address any and all aspects of astronomy and astrology in medieval and early modern cultures. 

Topics include representations of astronomy and astrology in elite and popular media, both past and present; the social, cultural, economic, gendered and political contexts of astronomy and astrology; the material and spatial artifacts associated with astronomy and astrology; the relationship of modern and historical theories and practices relating to astronomy and astrology.

The PCDP conference generally holds paper presentations on the Friday of the event (April 10). Additional presentations may be scheduled in tandem with Saturday's mini Renaissance Fair (April 11) that will otherwise feature a variety of exhibitions, demonstrations, performances and hands-on activities.