Inaugural Residential Research Library Conference

Libraries, Learning and Religious Identities:

Britain, Ireland and the European Context, c.1100-c.1900

Hosted by Durham University and Ushaw

Organised by Durham University’s Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Tuesday 10 – Friday 13 September 2019

Call for Papers

 Deadline for submissions: Sunday 6 January 2019

Proposals for papers and panels should be submitted to admin.imems@durham.ac.uk

Durham University, in collaboration with Ushaw and Durham Cathedral Library, is in the process of establishing a Residential Research Library, which will provide opportunities for visiting scholars to come to Durham to work on the rich collections of these three institutions. The formal launch of the RRL will take place in the autumn of 2019 and to celebrate the event Durham University and Ushaw are hosting a conference on the theme of Libraries, Learning and Religious Identities.

 

The library collections at Durham are rich and diverse. At the heart of them, however, are a remarkable group of libraries created by, and attached to, religious institutions. Part of the original endowment of the University was the library created by Bishop John Cosin and bequeathed to his successors as an endowed public library for local clergy and people of scholarly interests. Still housed in the building designed by Cosin to house it, the library celebrates the 350th anniversary of its opening in 2019. Among the collections of Durham Cathedral Library is the most complete surviving English monastic library. For the last few years the Cathedral and the University have been collaborating on a project to produce high quality digital images of all the surviving volumes belonging to the Priory Library in order to make this resource as widely available as possible. Ushaw College houses not only a nineteenth- and twentieth-century seminary library, but also copies of many of the books that would have belonged to Douai College, as well as the library of the English College at Lisbon.

It is appropriate, therefore, that the theme of the Inaugural Residential Research Library Conference, 'Libraries, Learning and Religious Identities: Britain, Ireland and the European Context, c.1100-c.1900.' The conference aims to take a broad and inclusive approach to its theme, exploring not only libraries as institutions, but also their social, intellectual and cultural contexts. Geographically, the conference aims to include Britain and Ireland, including the experiences of natives of the British Isles on the continent and institutions, such as the English Catholic colleges, established by exiles. Papers which illuminate the British and Irish context through the discussion of Europe are also welcome.

Some of the questions which we expect to be discussed during the conference are listed below, but this list is intended to be neither prescriptive nor exhaustive, and we would welcome proposals that adopt new perspectives on libraries, learning and religious cultures.

• What were the purposes of libraries? How did they change through the period?
• How were libraries constructed?
• How were libraries used?
• How important were libraries to the construction of religious knowledge?
• What role did libraries and their holdings play at key moments of religious change, such as the Reformation?
• How did libraries and their contents contribute to the construction of religious identities?
• How important were libraries and learning in sustaining the religious culture of minority groups?
• In what ways did libraries and their holdings acquire symbolic, cultural significance relative to religious identity?
• How can the skills, knowledge and methodologies of academics and specialist library staff be brought together to create and pursue new areas of knowledge?

 

PROPOSAL CRITERIA/FURTHER INFORMATION

Proposals (no more than 200 words) for papers of 20 minutes in length should be submitted to [e-mail address] by 15 December 2018. They should be accompanied by a short CV (one page), which includes contact details.

Proposals for a panel of three 20-minute papers are also welcome. Panel proposals should comprise:

• A cover sheet, detailing the title of the panel, a short summary of its scope (no more than 200 words), the names of the participants, and the name and e-mail address of the organiser (who will be the contact with the conference committee)
• A 200 word synopsis for each of the papers
• Short CVs (one page) of the presenters, the panel chair and the commentator (the chair and the commentator may be the same.

 

Proposals from postgraduate students are welcome.

 Deadlines

 Proposals for papers and panels should be submitted by 6 January 2019 to admin.imems@durham.ac.uk.

 Replies to all submissions will be sent no later than the end of February 2019

 Academic enquiries should be sent to admin.imems@durham.ac.uk

Call for papers

Medicine, Myth and Magic

EXTENDED DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: Saturday, January 5th, 2019

Conference Topic: Crossroads of Medicine and Religion
Dates: April 12-14, 2019
Location: McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Submission Deadline: Saturday, January 5th, 2019.
Contact: gradconference.relgstud@mail.mcgill.ca

Description of the conference:
The McGill Centre for Research on Religion (CREOR) graduate student annual conference invites graduate students and emerging scholars to participate in a special edition conference rethinking the relationship between medicine and religion. We invite critical reflections on the complexities and diversity that arises at the crossroads of medicine and religion. We know that since Antiquity medical traditions in Greece, Babylon, Egypt, China and India were intrinsically intertwined with its religious practices. The observation and study of anatomical and mental ailments was not necessarily a distinct science, the lines between medicine, religion, and “magic” remained⎯at times⎯blurry. Myth and ritual were also used to connect the body to sacred spaces. Early modern, and especially post-Enlightenment, thinking sought to bring a clearer divide between medicine and religion. As science and technology progressed it provided the field of medicine with a diagnostic and prognosis system which was purely “rational” and devoid of spiritual beliefs. But the acceptance of this proposition has not been unanimous. Despite the extraordinary advances of post-Enlightenment medicine, both Western and Eastern, does the quest for scientific knowledge leave any room for religious beliefs, traditions and ethics to influence medical practice?

Some questions the conference wishes to consider are: Do Western, Eastern and Indigenous traditions and religions have something to offer in understanding afflictions of the mind and body? Can religious beliefs and scientific methods used by modern medicine ever be reconciled? How has a given tradition’s view of the relationship between medicine and religion evolved over time? What role and influence have religious views had in the history of medical thought? What are the theological and philosophical aspects of the study of the body? How has the relationship between medicine and religion been portrayed in historical, literary, and philosophical writings?

We invite proposals from all areas of study, including history, philosophy, art history, religious studies, sociology, anthropology, psychology, bioethics, and law.

Encouraged topics and themes include, but are not limited to, the following:

• History of medicine and religion
• Theological and philosophical aspects of the medical sciences
• Theology and philosophy of medicine
• Sociology of medical knowledge
• Anthropology of medicine
• Medicine and religion in literature
• Medicine and “fringe” religious traditions (e.g. Hermetic, heretical, “occult”…)
• Iconography: Representations of the healer-prophet or healer-saint in art
• Debates on body and soul informed by medical and theological knowledge
• Spiritualization of physical illness
• Indigenous practices and medicine
• Spiritual and magical healing (e.g. shamanic, taslismanic, etc.)
• Ethics of healing
• Religious ethics and medical practices
• Scriptural Interpretations

This year’s CREOR graduate student conference will be held in collaboration with McGill’s History conference “Angelical Conjunctions: Crossroads of Medicine and Religion, 1200-1800” and running concurrently with the 2019 Eastern International Regional Meeting of the American Academy of Religion conference on “Religion, Harm and Healing”.

The “Angelical Conjunctions” conference will be accompanied by an exhibition of rare books that are relevant to the theme of the conference in McGill University’s Osler Library of Medicine.

Guidelines for proposals:

Please submit a 250 word abstract explaining the topic and main arguments of the paper. All disciplines and fields welcome. Papers must engage in and contribute to the scholarly discourse; works of advocacy or mere summary will not be considered. Presentations should not exceed 20 minutes. Proposals should include all contact information including institutional affiliation and any technical request such as audio-visual equipment. These proposals as well as any questions or requests for further information should be sent to the following address: gradconference.relgstud@mail.mcgill.ca

Publishing Possibility: Following the conference, a select number of high quality papers will be considered for publication in a special volume.

Dates: 2‒4 October 2019

Venue: University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Committee: David Dean, Kathryn Prince, Piroska Nagy

Call for Papers Deadline: 1 December 2018

Enquiries/Submission of Proposals: conflict@vectorsofemotion.com

Conflict (whether interpersonal, intercultural, interspecies or individual) can lead to devastating consequences, but it is also an important catalyst for creativity and an indicator of social change. The emotions associated with conflict can be as pleasurable as the relish of dramatic tension or as devastating as a complete physical and mental collapse of the self. 

We invite participants to consider the emotions associated with conflict, to examine how various cultures have understood the nexus of emotions and conflict, and to explore conflicting emotions in any context. Approaches from all disciplines broadly related to the History of Emotions are welcome. Given uOttawa's bilingual mission, participation in French is welcome and encouraged. A version of the call for papers is also circulating en français. The deadline is 1 December 2018 to submit proposals (in English or French) for individual papers, panels, and creative presentations (200–300 words with a short biographical statement) to the conference organisers David Dean, Kathryn Prince and Piroska Nagy at the conference address: conflict@vectorsofemotion.com

The conference will take place at uOttawa, located downtown near Ottawa's many galleries and museums, the Rideau Canal, and other attractions, including a shuttle to see the autumn colours in Gatineau Park.

Key Dates

• 1 December 2018: Deadline for proposals 
• 15 January 2019: Decisions announced about proposals, along with information about hotel options and registration.

Conference Committee

• David Dean, Director, Centre for Public History, Carleton University, Ottawa
• Kathryn Prince, Department of Theatre, University of Ottawa
• Piroska Nagy, Professor of Medieval History, Université du Québec à Montréal

For more information, see the CFP at the Society for the History of Emotions website.

Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMRS) and Medieval Association of the Pacific (MAP) Joint Conference: Magic, Religion, and Science in the Global Middle Ages and Renaissance (2019)

The ACMRS and MAP Joint Conference: Magic, Religion, and Science in the Global Middle Ages and Renaissance (2019) ​​​is ​​​an ​​​annual ​​​gathering ​​​of ​​​scholars, ​​​students, ​​​retirees ​​​and ​​​members ​​​of ​​​the ​​​general ​​​public ​​​interested ​​​in ​​​medieval and Renaissance ​​​studies. ACMRS is proud to announce that its 2019 conference will be held jointly with the Medieval Association of the Pacific. We welcome papers that explore any topic related to the study and teaching of the Middle Ages and Renaissance and especially those that focus on the general theme of ​​​“Magic, Religion, and Science ​​​in ​​​the ​​​Global ​​​Middle ​​​Ages ​​​and ​​​Renaissance.” The ​​​conference ​​​lasts ​​​four ​​​days, ​​​from ​​​Wednesday, ​​​February ​6​, ​​​with ​​​sessions ​​​beginning ​​​at ​​​1 ​​​p.m., ​​​until ​​​Saturday, ​​​February ​​​9 ​​​at ​​​9 ​​​p.m. ​​​ 

For more information.

In 1922 Carl Schmitt published his essay “Politische Theologie,” arguing that all concepts of modern political thought are secularized theological concepts. In 1934, the same year that Schmitt released a revised edition of his essay, Henri-Xavier Arquillière published a short study entitled L’Augustinisme politique, arguing that all concepts of early medieval political thought are sacralized temporal concepts.

In recent years many scholars of modern and early modern history, political theory, and law have returned to these entanglements of sacrality and secularity posited by Schmitt and Arquillière, and have sought to identify and trace their influence upon the development of Western sovereignty, governmentality, and politics as such. Notably, the contemporary philosopher Giorgio Agamben has developed his prominent theorizations of the “state of exception” and “homo sacer” through a close engagement with Schmitt’s provocative ideas.

Scholars of late antique and early medieval history and theology have also recently concentrated on the entanglements of sacrality and secularity, but have largely done so by following the lead of Robert Markus, Peter Brown, and their interlocutors in their exploration of the ideas and influence of men such as Augustine and Gregory the Great.

While the focus of one group has been on the processes and effects of secularization at work from the late Middle Ages to the present, the focus of the other has been on the “de-secularization” of the world from late antiquity into the early Middle Ages. While the former attempts to understand what remains of the medieval sacral sphere within secular modernity, the latter seeks to identify what was lost from the late Roman “secular” civic sphere upon the institutionalization and development of Christianity.

In this year’s Medieval Workshop, we seek to bring these two scholarly traditions on the historical relationship of the sacral and the secular into conversation. At what point did temporal political concepts become merged with Christian theology? Was there something particular to the Christian cosmology that accommodated this fateful merging, or was it only a consequence of certain political exigencies following the Roman Empire’s adoption of Christianity? What concepts distinctive to Christian theology remain within the political, legal, and cultural structures of the “post-Christian” West? More generally, has a faltering confidence in the progressive secularization of the contemporary world led to the renewal of interest not only in the processes of early medieval sacralization, but also in the pre-Christian “sacral” views and practices that were adapted, eliminated, or cast into oblivion thereby? What are the stakes in opening ourselves to the implications of a pre-Christian order of “sacrality?” What part have differing understandings of time itself played in these processes? In short, what has Augustine to do with Giorgio Agamben? Pseudo-Dionysius with Erik Peterson? Thomas Aquinas with Arquillière? These are just a few possible questions we hope to explore in an effort to initiate dialogue and exchange among the disciplines regarding theologies of the political.

Keynote speaker – Conrad Leyser (University of Oxford)

Papers should not exceed 20 minutes. Send an abstract (max. 500 words) and short bio by e-mail to Courtney Booker (History) <cbooker@mail.ubc.ca>, to arrive by November 1, 2018.

Conference website

The 18th Vagantes Conference on Medieval Studies, which will take place at the University of Toronto from March 20th-23rd, 2019, is seeking paper abstracts on any topic related to the Middle Ages.

Vagantes is North America’s largest graduate-student conference for medieval studies. Since its founding in 2002, Vagantes has nurtured a lively community of junior scholars from across all disciplines. The 18th Vagantes Conference on Medieval Studies in Toronto will feature thirty graduate-student papers and two keynote speakers.  On March 20th, we will also offer an intensive manuscript workshop that will use the collections of the Pontifical Institute for Mediaeval Studies Library and the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library.  There will be a separate registration process for the workshop that will be circulated at a later time.

Graduate students in all disciplines are invited to submit a paper title, an abstract of 300 words on any medieval topic, and a 1-2 page CV to Lane Springer at lane.springer@mail.utoronto.ca Your abstract will be blind-reviewed by an interdisciplinary panel of graduate students, and it should provide a clear summary of your proposed paper with language that is accessible to non-specialists.  Since Vagantes is an interdisciplinary conference, your audience might not know the history of the Carolingian Empire, the corpus of Geoffrey Chaucer, or the theology of Peter Comestor.  Please make your abstract is concise and accessible.  Both your abstract and CV should be submitted in a Word document.

Out of consideration for graduate students’ budgets, Vagantes never charges a registration fee. The deadline for submissions is Friday, November 9th, 2018.  Some travel bursaries will be available for presenters.  In your submission, please indicate if you would be interested in applying for one.  

For  more information: vagantesconference.org

THE CCMAH / CCHAM

CALL FOR PAPERS / APPEL À COMMUNICATION

"From Medieval to Medievalism: Medieval Art and Architecture and its Modern Canadian Transformations"

The 40th Canadian Conference of Medieval Art Historians will be co-hosted by the History Department of the University of Winnipeg and the School of Art at the University of Manitoba, on March 22-23, 2019. Papers are invited on any topic relating to the art, architecture and visual/material culture of the Middle Ages or its post-medieval revivals. Papers may be in English or French. Please submit a short abstract (250 words) and brief (one-page) C.V. by 3 December 2018 to Jim Bugslag (James.Bugslag@umanitoba.ca). Scholars at every stage of their careers are encouraged to submit proposals.

Le département d’Histoire de l’Université de Winnipeg et l’École d’Art de l’Université du Manitoba accueilleront conjointement le 40e colloque canadien des historiens de l’art médiéval qui se tiendra à Winnipeg les 22 et 23 mars 2019. Les communications portant sur tout sujet relatif à l’art, à l’architecture et à la culture visuelle/matérielle du Moyen Âge ou à ses renaissances postmédiévales seront bienvenues. Les interventions peuvent être faites soit en anglais ou en français. Veuillez soumettre un court résumé de votre communication (250 mots) ainsi qu’un bref C.V. (une page) d’ici le 3 décembre 2018 à Jim Bugslag (James.Bugslag@umanitoba.ca). Les chercheurs/chercheures qui sont à différentes étapes de leur carrière académique sont encouragé(e)s à participer.

Winnipeg, March/Mars 22-23, 2019

CFP: Medievalism in Popular Culture: PCA/ACA 2019 National Conference

April 17th – 20th, 2019 – Washington, D.C.

The Medievalism in Popular Culture Area (including Anglo-Saxon, Robin Hood, Arthurian, Norse, and other materials connected to medieval studies) accepts papers on all topics that explore either popular culture during the Middle Ages or transcribe some aspect of the Middle Ages into the popular culture of later periods. These representations can occur in any genre, including film, television, novels, graphic novels, gaming, advertising, art, etc. For this year’s conference, I would like to encourage submissions on some of the following topics:

• The Arthurian World
• Medievalism and Superheroes
• “Medieval” as a social and political signifier
• Medievalism in Game of Thrones
• Representations of medieval/Renaissance nobility and royalty in television (Reign, The White Princess, Wolf Hall, etc.)
• Robin Hood
• Medievalism and Teaching
• Medievalism in Various Forms of Gaming
• Anglo-Saxon or Viking Representations
• Medievalism in Novels/Short Stories/Poems

If your topic idea does not fit into any of these categories, please feel free to submit your proposal as well. I would like to encourage as much participation as possible, and depending on submissions, I may rearrange the topic groupings.

All papers will be included in sessions with four presenters each, so plan to present on your topic for no more than 15 minutes, inclusive of any audio or visual materials.

Panel submissions are also welcome on any topic of medievalism. If you would like to propose a panel, please submit your complete panel to me directly at cfrancis@bloomu.edu. Individual papers will then have to be submitted to the PCA online system (see below).

Submission requirements:

Please submit a title and a 250 word abstract to http://conference.pcaaca.org. All submissions must be directed to the online database. Be sure to indicate whatever audio/visual needs you may have. Traditionally, all rooms at the PCA/ACA conference provide a projection screen with sound capability. Presenters are required to bring their own laptops and any special connectors.
Deadline for submission: October 1st, 2018
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Christina Francis, Associate Professor of English, Bloomsburg University, at cfrancis@bloomu.edu.

Depending on precisely when in that infamous ninth year of Edward’s reign Sir Thomas Malory completed his work, 2019 marks perhaps the 550^th anniversary of Le Morte Darthur. Accordingly, we mark the occasion with a special conference, and are pleased to invite proposals on any aspect of Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur: text(s), contexts, old or new critical approaches.

Send proposals of 250 words, along with contact details, to Cory and Kevin:
crushton@stfx.ca and kevin.whetter@acadiau.ca

**Proposals are due no later than 3 January 2019**

For details, see https://english.acadiau.ca/get-involved/maple-malory.html

Vernacular Devotional Cultures Group

ICMS 2019

The Vernacular Devotional Cultures Group is organizing the following three special sessions at the 54th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo in May 2019. The VDCG sponsors sessions on medieval mystics and mysticism and showcases recent scholarship on vernacular spiritual traditions in medieval Western Europe.

Please send abstracts of no more than 300 words and a completed Participant Information Form to Dr Catherine Annette Grisé (grisec@mcmaster.ca) by 15 September 2018. Electronic submissions are preferred.

Contact Information:

Dr. Catherine Annette Grisé
Associate Professor
Dept. of English and Cultural Studies
McMaster University
Hamilton, ON L8S 4L9
grisec@mcmaster.ca

1) Marguerite Porete and her Contemporaries (Session of Papers)

This session will on the French Beguines, with particular focus on Marguerite Porete, who began her spiritual authority as a Beguine, but was burned for heresy in 1310. We wish to explore how Marguerite's female vernacular theology and Beguine mysticism provided both a space for female mystical discourse and, in turn, a challenge to established medieval patriarchal theologians.

2) Early Print Culture and The Many Faces of Reform (Session of Papers)

This session draws on member interest in pre-Reformation print culture and provides more context for the wide appeal of devotional texts in early print. While the printing presses were an influential forum for major reformers, they were also used as a tool by Catholics who advocated for adaptations of conservative practices and for the promotion of current lay trends. Furthermore, Humanist agendas brought a number of recovered religious texts and new ideas into print that changed the devotional landscape. We welcome papers that explore the way in which vernacular devotional literature intersects with any one of these issues.

3) Vernacular Spiritual Writings: Adaptations and Contexts (Session of Papers)

This session will focus on manuscript contexts for devotional writings in the vernacular. Many treatises are excerpted, adapted, and anthologized to suit new circumstances. The adaptors/ translators change texts for the situations of their new audiences—in some cases, dramatic changes are made, in others small adaptations occur. In this panel, we invite papers that trace such changes to help us better understand the evolving devotional landscape and the roles that audiences and other contextual factors played in the ways that source materials were used.