SPICA is the first postgraduate journal of its kind, covering the subject matter which it does. The journal has emerged out of the last ten years of research in the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture, together with our experience in teaching the MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology. The Centre – and the MA – are a part of the Faculty of Humanities and the Performing Arts at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Our work can be summed up as the study of the many, varied and rich ways in which human beings relate to the cosmos, and use the sky as a backdrop for their lives, looking to it to provide meaning and encourage action. Astronomy and astrology in the sense they are widely understood now were not distinguished in pre-modern and non-western societies, which explains why we can bracket them together in the wider pursuit of understanding the relationship between humanity, culture and the cosmos.
Spica, being a postgraduate journal will publish the best quality MA-level work, and all contributions have to be judged at this level. However, we understand MA work often makes a valuable contribution to scholarly understanding, all the more so in an emerging field such as ours. While we primarily feature work from the MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology, we are aware that there are many students working in related areas in other MAs. In that case, if your work is of the highest quality, we encourage you to submit, having consulted the submission guidelines, of course.
We encourage all who are interested in our academic work to make contact with the editor Rod Suskin at rod@spica.org.uk.