We invite you to a panel discussion on Three Thousand Years of Sleeping and Dreaming in 45 Minutes, followed by a reception.

Whether you are an insomniac or a dreamer, the Bloomsbury Cultural History of Sleep and Dreaming will reassure you that you are not alone. 56 experts from around the world explore how people have dealt with the challenges posed by finding good sleep and regulating it over the past 3,000 years. Why do we sleep and dream? What happens during sleep? And how have sleep arrangements and attitudes towards sleep and dreaming changed over time and across the continents?

This six-volume set, drawing on a broad range of case material, illustrates both the major trends and the finer nuances in the history of sleep and dreaming, from antiquity to the present.

Our book launch invites you to discover this exciting new collection and to consider questions on sleep and dreams with our invited experts. Come along, satisfy your curiosity, challenge your assumptions, join the conversation, and celebrate with us.

The panel discussion will be followed by a reception in the Grace Howard Room.

Programme

Welcome address by the Master of Downing College – Professor Graham Virgo

Inside the Bedrooms of History: The Making of Six Volumes – Rafał Matuszewski (series co-editor, editor of vol. 1, Leiden)

Panel discussion: Three Thousand Years of Sleeping and Dreaming in 45 Minutes

Robert Meadows (co-editor of vol. 6, Guildford, Surrey) — moderator

Karine Crousaz (co-editor of vol. 3, Lausanne)

Michaela Schrage-Früh (co-editor of vol. 5, Limerick)

Christiane Solte-Gresser (co-editor of vol. 6, Saarbrücken)

Brigitte Steger (series co-editor, Cambridge)

Participate online

If you are unable to attend this event in person, there will be an opportunity to join online. A link will be available here in due course.

Access to the venue

A map of the College can be found here (https://www.dow.cam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2026b-Visitor-Map.pdf).

Contact

Brigitte Steger: bs382@dow.cam.ac.uk

Description supplied by the event organiser.