TANC The Apocalypse Is Not Coming: A transdisciplinary conference involving ICTA-UAB
From 12 to 15 May 2026, the UAB will host TANC. The Apocalypse Is Not Coming, an international transdisciplinary conference that will take place at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. The event is organised by a consortium of UAB institutions and external partners, with researchers from the ICTA-UAB actively participating in the conference’s organising committee.
The conference addresses the notion of “apocalypse” as a powerful social and cultural imaginary that shapes contemporary responses to ecological, technological and geopolitical crises. Rather than treating the apocalypse as an inevitable destiny, TANC approaches it as a socially constructed narrative that influences collective fears, political discourses and material realities. By critically examining these imaginaries, the conference seeks to challenge fatalistic “end-of-times” logics and explore alternative pathways towards regenerative and socially just futures.
Over four days, TANC will bring together researchers, activists, educators, artists and spiritual practitioners in a programme that combines academic debate with experimental and participatory formats. The conference will feature two keynote lectures, nine thematic panels, ten parallel workshops, artistic and theatrical performances, a collective street action, and several satellite activities, including a sound walk and a research methodology workshop.
Discussions and activities will revolve around four core strategies: decentring for regeneration, cultivating ontological awareness, reclaiming planetary purpose, and engaging in regenerative action. Through dialogue across disciplines and forms of knowledge – ranging from ecofeminist and antiracist perspectives to participatory artificial intelligence, artistic practices and collective healing approaches – the conference aims to open spaces for critical reflection, collaboration and imaginative experimentation.
The objectives of TANC include fostering synergies across disciplines, encouraging innovative collaborations, and creating an inclusive and safe environment for transdisciplinary exchange. Participants are expected to gain new methodological perspectives, identify resonances across different fields, and leave with renewed motivation to engage in collaborative research and action.
By contributing to the organisation of TANC, ICTA-UAB researchers reinforce the institute’s commitment to transdisciplinary research, critical environmental thinking and the co-creation of knowledge that addresses global challenges beyond conventional academic boundaries.