The DREST 2026 Annual Seminar will take place on 4–6 November 2026 at the Department of Education and Humanities of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. The venue is Palazzo Baroni, viale Timavo 93, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Entitled Le figure della fine (“Figures of the End”), the fourth DREST Annual Seminar explores representations of the end, prophecy and eschatology across religious traditions and contemporary debates. The programme includes lectures on medieval Christianity, Islam, South Asian religions and narratives surrounding artificial intelligence. The final day will focus on understanding cultural and religious difference.
The lectures are free of charge, and remote attendance is also possible.
Kalki and apocalyptic narratives of artificial intelligence
On 5 November, John Newman of New College of Florida will deliver the lecture Kalki. Agent of the Apocalypse Across South Asian Religions?, introduced and chaired by Giacomella Orofino.
Later that day, Robert M. Geraci of Knox College will speak on Revealing the AI Apocalypse: Eschatological Dimensions of AI and AI Narratives, introduced and chaired by Massimo Leone.
Lecture programme
The sessions will take place in Room 3.1, Palazzo Baroni. The schedule below lists the academic talks; the full programme also includes discussions, breaks and activities for the doctoral community.
All times are local to Italy. Lecture titles are given in their original language.
Wednesday, 4 November
10:00–10:30 — Institutional welcome.
10:30–11:30 — Marco Rainini, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan
Mappe della fine del mondo. Le Figure di Gioacchino da Fiore
Introduced and chaired by Federico Ruozzi.
14:30–15:30 — Anna Canton, University of Florence
Al-Dajjāl sulla soglia della fine: liminalità e crisi dell’ordine spazio-temporale nell’escatologia islamica
Session organised by DREST.
16:30–17:30 — Francis Messner, Université de Strasbourg
Le rôle de l’État en France dans l’organisation de l’Islam
Introduced and chaired by Alessandro Ferrari.
Thursday, 5 November
09:30–10:30 — Alessandra Bartolomei Romagnoli, Pontifical Gregorian University
Profetismo femminile ed escatologia (sec. XII–XV)
Chaired by DREST doctoral students.
14:00–15:00 — John Newman, New College of Florida
Kalki. Agent of the Apocalypse Across South Asian Religions?
Introduced and chaired by Giacomella Orofino.
16:00–17:00 — Robert M. Geraci, Knox College, United States
Revealing the AI Apocalypse: Eschatological Dimensions of AI and AI Narratives
Introduced and chaired by Massimo Leone.
Friday, 6 November
The final day will host the DESU Department of Excellence seminar “L’analfabetismo nella comprensione della differenza culturale e religiosa”, addressing illiteracy in the understanding of cultural and religious difference.
09:45–10:00 — Institutional welcome by Annamaria Contini, Director of DESU and head of the Department of Excellence’s 2023–2027 project on “Analfabetismi ad alto costo sociale”.
10:00–12:00 — Talks and discussion:
- Carlo Altini, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia: Il ruolo dei concetti nel sapere storico.
- Federico Ruozzi and Francesca Cadeddu, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia: Analfabetismo religioso, alfabetizzazione religiosa ed educazione: uno sguardo critico.
- Nicole Reinhardt, Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG): The Concept of Religion in Historical and Comparative Research.
How to attend
The lectures will take place on 4–6 November 2026 at Palazzo Baroni, Room 3.1, viale Timavo 93, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Attendance at the lectures is free of charge, and remote participation is also possible. Please contact the organising secretariat for information about joining online.
The scientific and organising secretariat consists of Federico Ruozzi, Laura Righi and Lucia De Lorenzo.
