The Canadian Society of Medievalists Medievalist of the Month

Featured Canadian Medievalist: Natalie Van Deusen (University of Alberta)

Thu, 05 Jul 2018 12:30:25 GMT

Our featured member this month is Dr. Natalie Van Deusen, Assistant Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies at the University of Alberta. She's also the president for the Association for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies in Canada, with whom the CSM held joint sessions at this years Congress.

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

I usually tell them that I teach medieval literature. If they're chatty and ask for more details, I specify that I teach courses on the Vikings and Norse mythology. Thanks to popular culture, people usually end up getting excited about that!

What projects are you currently working on?

My current research project is "Mirrors of Virtue: Holy Virgins and Models for Womanhood in Early Icelandic Verse," which is supported by a SSHRC Insight Grant. The project aims to catalogue, edit, and analyze late medieval and early modern Icelandic poems, whose subjects are holy women and, especially, virgin martyr saints. I have already published one edition of a poem called "Sprundahrós" [In Praise of Women], and am presently working on editions of two other poems, as well as a monograph on the post-medieval poetic tradition surrounding St. Agnes of Rome.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

One of my favourite parts about being a medievalist is getting to do research and teach in a field that is so multidisciplinary, which is great for me and my work, which incorporates a number of disciplines and methodologies. I love bringing this into the classroom and showing students how rich and varied material from medieval Scandinavia is, and teaching them the various ways in which they can approach texts and other evidence.

I also really love what I call the "detective aspect" of doing research on material from the Middle Ages, particularly when working with manuscripts (which is the bulk of what I do). Working with multiple witnesses of a text can be overwhelming, but I love being able to piece together clues and make connections based on provenance, scribal features, and other textual evidence (such as marginalia).

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

I joined the CSM because I am a medievalist working in Canada and wanted the opportunity to network with and present my research to my colleagues across the country. CSM has also done such amazing collaborations with the Association for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies in Canada (AASSC), for which I am currently president. There are a lot of medievalists in AASSC, so the partnership between associations was quite natural!

Where can we find/read some of your work?

My latest monograph, The Saga of the Sister Saints: Martha and Mary Magdalen in Old Norse Translation, is forthcoming from the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, and the monograph I co-authored with Kirsten Wolf, The Saints in Old Norse and Early Modern Icelandic Poetry (University of Toronto, 2017) is available for purchase and in libraries. Most of my articles are available online, and a full list can be found at https://www.ualberta.ca/arts/about/people-collection/natalie-van-deusen under the Publications section.

Vous arrivez à un aéroport pour un voyage de recherche et l’agent de contrôle des frontières demande ce que vous faites dans la vie. Que répondez-vous ?

Je réponds d’habitude que j’enseigne la littérature médiévale. S’ils bavardent et me demandent plus de détails, je précise que j’enseigne des cours sur les Vikings et la mythologie nordique. Grâce à la pop culture, les gens finissent généralement par s’enthousiasmer à ce sujet !

Sur quels projets travaillez-vous en ce moment ?

Mon projet actuel de recherche s’intitule « Miroirs de la vertu : Saintes vierges et modèles pour la féminité dans la poésie islandaise », soutenu par une Subvention Savoir du CRSH. Le projet vise à cataloguer, éditer, et analyser des poèmes islandais tardomédiévaux et modernes, au sujet de femmes sainte, en particulier de vierges martyres. J’ai édité un poème appelé « Sprundahrós » [En l'honneur des femmes], et je travaille actuellement à l’édition de deux autres poèmes, ainsi qu’à une monographie sur la tradition poétique postmédiévale entourant St Agnès de Rome.

Qu’aimez-vous le plus dans le fait d’être médiéviste ?

Une des choses que je préfère est de pouvoir enseigner et faire de la recherche dans un domaine si pluridisciplinaire. Cela est bénéfique au plan personnel et pour mon travail, qui incorpore un certain nombre de disciplines et méthodologies différentes. Je transpose cela en classe et j’adore montrer aux étudiants la richesse et la diversité des sources de la Scandinavie médiévale, ainsi que les différentes manières d’approcher les textes et les autres sources.

J’aime beaucoup ce que j’appelle « l’aspect policier » de la recherche sur des sources médiévales, en particulier sur des manuscrits (la plus grande partie de mes sources). Jongler entre plusieurs témoins textuels peut être intimidant, mais j’adore parvenir à reconstituer les indices, à établir des liens basées sur la provenance des textes, sur les spécificités des copistes et d’autres éléments de preuve (par exemple les notes marginales).

Pourquoi êtes-vous membre de la Société canadienne des médiévistes (SCM)? À quelles autres sociétés appartenez-vous ?

J’ai rejoint la SMC parce que je suis médiéviste travaillant au Canada et je voulais l’occasion de rencontrer mes collègues à travers le pays, et de leur présenter mes recherches. La SMC a établi de fructueuses collaborations avec l’Association pour l’avancement des études scandinaves au Canada (AAESC), de laquelle je suis actuellement présidente. Il y a beaucoup de médiévistes dans l’AAESC, le partenariat entre associations était donc tout à fait naturel !

Où pouvons-nous trouver/lire certains de vos travaux ?

Ma dernière monographie, la The Saga of the Sister Saints: Martha and Mary Magdalen in Old Norse Translation, va bientôt paraître au Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies et la monographie que j’ai coécrite avec Kirsten Wolf, The Saints in Old Norse and Early Modern Icelandic Poetry (Université de Toronto, 2017) est disponible à l’achat et dans les bibliothèques. La plupart de mes articles sont disponibles en ligne, et une liste complète se trouve à https://www.ualberta.ca/arts/about/people-collection/natalie-van-deusen sous la rubrique Publications.

Featured Canadian Medievalist: James Grier (Western University)

Thu, 05 Apr 2018 03:23:25 GMT

Our Featured Member this month is Dr. James Grier, musicologist at Western University!

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

Musicologist. It sometimes takes a bit of explaining. Music historian. Oh, what instrument do you play? To which I always reply, “The library.”

What projects are you currently working on?

A palaeographic study of the music hand of Adémar de Chabannes (my eleventh-century alter ego) is about to come out in Corpus Christianorum Autographa Medii Aevi. Two editions with accompanying critical studies: the Office of the Holy Trinity at Saint-Martial de Limoges in the Eleventh Century, and the Offertory in Eleventh-Century Aquitaine. My long-range project concerns the origins of musical literacy in the Latin West.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

Aside from everything, for me, it is always about the people, many of whom are of course anonymous, but they were real people with all the passions, needs, failings, abilities and ambitions that we have. If we can catch just a glimpse of some of those qualities by examining what they have left behind, we will be so much the richer for sharing some of their experiences.

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

After holding membership in the Medieval Academy of America for over thirty years, I finally grew tired of the unprofessional way in which it was run. I won’t bore you with the details. CSM seemed like a much friendlier environment, and so it has proved in my short time as a member. I also belong to the American Musicological Society and the Plainsong and Medieval Society. For over a decade, I was a member of the Classical Association of Canada, but when they raised their membership fees precipitously, it became a luxury that I, as a lapsed classicist, could no longer justify.

Where can we find/read some of your work?

Critical edition of the music copied by Adémar de Chabannes in Corpus Christianorum Continuatio Medievalis; study of Adémar’s music The Musical World of a Medieval Monk: Adémar de Chabannes in Eleventh-Century Aquitaine (CambridgeUP 2006). Articles in Journal of the American Musicological Society (1988, 1992, 2003, 2013); Musica Disciplina (1990); Early Music History (1995, 2005); Plainsong and Medieval Music (1997, 2003, 2006); and, outside musicology, Revue d’Histoire des Textes (1988), Speculum (1994), Scriptorium (1997), Journal of Medieval Latin (2006); as well as various essay collections and Festschriften. Outside the Middle Ages, I published The Critical Editing of Music (CambridgeUP 1996; Spanish translation 2008), and essays on the music of Joseph Haydn (Journal of Musicology 2010), and Frank Zappa (Acta Musicologica 2001).

Any final thoughts?

Being a medievalist is just about the best job in the world, as far as I am concerned. I am very lucky and even more privileged to be able to pursue it. As Leonard Boyle never tired of saying, “You’ve got to stand before these sources with humility,” a sentiment I have always attempted to honour. Dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants indeed!

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Vous arrivez à un aéroport pour un voyage de recherche et l’agent de contrôle des frontières demande ce que vous faites dans la vie. Que répondez-vous ?

Musicologue. Ça prend parfois quelques explications. Historien de la musique. Oh, de quel instrument jouez-vous ? À cette question je réponds toujours, « de la bibliothèque ».

Sur quels projets travaillez-vous en ce moment ?

Une étude paléographique de la main musicale de Adémar de Chabannes (mon alter ego du XIe siècle) paraîtra dans le Corpus Christianorum Autographa Medii Aevi. Deux éditions accompagnées d’études critiques : l’Office de la Sainte Trinité de Saint-Martial de Limoges au XIe siècle, et l’Offertoire de l’Aquitaine du XIe siècle. Mon projet à long terme porte sur les origines de l’alphabétisation musicale dans l’Occident Latin.

Qu’aimez-vous le plus dans le fait d’être médiéviste ?

En dehors du reste, pour moi, c’est que c’est au sujet d’individus, dont beaucoup sont évidemment anonymes, mais qui étaient de vraies personnes avec toutes les passions, besoins, carences, aptitudes et ambitions que nous avons. Si nous pouvons juste entrevoir quelques-unes de leurs qualités en étudiant ce qu’ils nous ont laissé, nous nous enrichissons de leurs expériences et de leur partage.

Pourquoi êtes-vous membre de la Société canadienne des médiévistes (SCM)? À quelles autres sociétés appartenez-vous ?

Après avoir été membre de la Medieval Academy of America depuis plus de trente ans, je me suis lassé de la manière peu professionnelle dont elle été gérée. Je vous épargne les détails. La SCM semblait être un environnement beaucoup plus convivial, ce qui s’est confirmé depuis que je suis membre – depuis peu. J’appartiens aussi à l’American Musicological Society et la Plainsong and Medieval Society. Pour plus d’une décennie, j’ai été membre de l’Association canadienne des études classiques, mais quand ils ont augmenté la cotisation abruptement, c’est un luxe que je ne pouvais plus justifier, en tant qu’ex-classiciste.

Où pouvons-nous trouver/lire certains de vos travaux ?

L’édition critique de la musique copiée par Adémar de Chabannes est dans le Corpus Christianorum Continuatio Medievalis ; l’étude de la musique de Adémar est dans The Musical World of a Medieval Monk: Adémar de Chabannes in Eleventh-Century Aquitaine (Cambridge UP 2006). Des articles sont parus dans le Journal of the American Musicological Society (1988, 1992, 2003, 2013) ; Musica Disciplina (1990) ; Early Music History (1995, 2005); Plainsong and Medieval Music (1997, 2003, 2006); et, en dehors de la musicologie, dans la Revue d’histoire des Textes (1988), Speculum (1994), Scriptorium (1997), Journal of Medieval Latin (2006); ainsi que dans divers ouvrages collectifs et actes de colloques. En dehors du Moyen-Age, j’ai publié The Critical Editing of Music (Cambridge UP, 1996 ; Traduction espagnole 2008) et des essais sur la musique de Joseph Haydn (Journal of Musicology, 2010) et de Frank Zappa (Acta Musicologica 2001).

Le mot de la fin ?

Être médiéviste est, pour moi, quasiment le meilleur emploi au monde. Je suis très chanceux et privilégié de pouvoir l’occuper. Comme Leonard Boyle ne se lassait pas de dire, “You’ve got to stand before these sources with humility,” ce que j’ai toujours tâché d’honorer. Des nains sur des épaules des géants, c’est bien ça !

Featured Canadian Medievalist: Debra Lacoste (Cantus Database, University of Waterloo)

Wed, 07 Mar 2018 23:04:34 GMT

Our featured member this month is Dr. Debra Lacoste, musicologist at the University of Waterloo.

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

I often say “musician” or “music teacher,” since I play trumpet professionally and that’s usually simpler to explain than “medievalist.” Sometimes it’s handy to have options.

What projects are you currently working on?

Day-to-day, I edit chant records and field questions about the Cantus Manuscript Database and the Cantus Index catalogue of chant texts and melodies. I am also excited to be guest editing a collection of papers based on research using the Cantus Database for the Journal of the Alamire Foundation. I am looking forward to seeing in print my chapter on Cantus in the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Music and Corpus Studies, and I have also been working actively with reviewers of digital media and authors of articles in the Journal of the American Musicological Society in my role as Digital and Multimedia Editor. Recently, I took over as Director & General Editor of the Institute of Mediaeval Music, and will have 3 new books in print in the next few months - stay tuned for details! In my spare time, I have to practice trumpet.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

Working on a research team for an academically-crowd-sourced project with colleagues at UW, McGill, and around the world.

Medievalists are the most collaborative, forward-thinking academic researchers in the humanities. The scarcity and fragility of our primary resources have forced us to learn how to use digital tools in our field, and the adoption of new technologies has put us on the cutting edge of research methods.

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

I came across the CSM a number of years ago and loved the idea of a national society devoted to medievalists. I am quite familiar with musicology conferences which have a different feel than the CSM meetings. The interdisciplinary exchanges at the CSM can be invigorating (once I was the only musicologist in the room!)--smaller and more accessible than Kalamazoo, with a Canadian connection.

I enjoy meeting with colleagues in the Cantus Planus Study Group of the International Musicological Society, a great excuse to travel to Europe (or Japan!) every couple of years. And, I have been a member of the Medieval Academy and the American Musicological Society for a number of years. The Renaissance Society of America sends me renewal notices.

Where can we find/read some of your work?

On the Internet (mostly)! Check out http://cantus.uwaterloo.ca/ for chant manuscript records, and http://cantusindex.org/ for the catalogue of all the chants texts (and many melodies) that we have uncovered in the manuscripts we have indexed. The Institute of Mediaeval Music is here: https://medievalmusic.ca/ and also hopefully in print at your university library (get them on the standing orders list!). The Journal of the American Musicological Society has, as you all know, both print and online subscription access. Many of my articles on chant and reports about the Cantus Database have been interred in conference proceedings, but one day Google Books might serve those too.

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Vous arrivez à un aéroport pour un voyage de recherche et de l’agent de contrôle de frontière demande ce que vous faites dans la vie. Que répondez-vous ?

Je dis souvent « musicienne » ou « professeure de musique, » parce que je joue la trompette professionnellement. C’est généralement plus simple d’expliquer que je suis « médiéviste. » Il est parfois utile d’avoir des options.

Sur quels projets travaillez-vous en ce moment ?

J’édite quotidiennement les dossiers de chant et réponds aux questions sur le Cantus Manuscript Database et sur le catalogue Cantus - Index des textes de chant et des mélodies. Je suis également très enthousiaste d’avoir été invitée à éditer un ensemble d’articles basés la base de données de Cantus pour le Journal of the Alamire Foundation. J’ai hâte de voir la publication de mon chapitre sur Cantus dans le Oxford Handbook of Music and Corpus Studies à paraître. Je travaille activement avec des commentateurs de médias numériques et des auteurs d’articles dans le cadre du Journal of the American Musicological Society, où j’officie comme Éditrice « Digital and Multimedia ». Récemment, je suis devenue directrice et rédactrice en chef de l'Institute of Mediaeval Music. Finalement, j’ai trois nouveaux livres à paraître publiés dans les prochains mois - restez à l’écoute pour plus de détails ! Dans mon temps libre, je joue de la trompette.

Qu’aimez-vous le plus dans le fait d’être médiéviste ?

Travailler avec une équipe de chercheurs pour un projet académique financé de manière participative avec des collègues à l’UW, McGill et dans le monde entier.

Les médiévistes sont les plus collaboratifs et les plus avant-gardistes des chercheurs en Humanités. La rareté et la fragilité de nos sources primaires ont nous ont forcés à apprendre à utiliser les outils numériques dans notre domaine, et l’adoption des nouvelles technologies nous a mis à la pointe des méthodes de recherche.

Pourquoi êtes-vous membre de la Société canadienne des médiévistes (SCM)? À quelles autres sociétés appartenez-vous ?

Je suis tombée sur la par hasard SCM il y a quelques années et j’ai aimé l’idée d’une société nationale consacrée aux médiévistes. Je suis assez familière avec les conférences de musicologie qui ont une ambiance différente que les rencontres de SCM. Les échanges interdisciplinaires à la SCM peuvent être revigorants (une fois j’étais la seule musicologue dans la pièce!) Les rencontres sont plus petites et plus accessibles que Kalamazoo et favorisent les liens entre Canadiens.

J’apprécie rencontrer mes collègues du d’étude Cantus Planus à l’International Musicological Society, un excellent prétexte pour se rendre en Europe (ou au Japon !) tous les deux ans. Et, je suis membre de la Medieval Academy et de l’American Musicological Society depuis de nombreuses années. La Renaissance Society of America m’envoie des avis de renouvellement.

Où pouvons-nous trouver/lire certains de vos travaux ?

Sur Internet (pour la plupart) ! Consultez http://cantus.uwaterloo.ca/ pour les enregistrements de manuscrit de chant, et http://cantusindex.org/ pour le catalogue de tous les textes de chants (et de nombreuses mélodies) que nous avons découvertes dans les manuscrits que nous avons indexés. The Institute of Mediaeval Music est ici : https://medievalmusic.ca/ et aussi, espérons le, en version papier à votre bibliothèque universitaire (à mettre sur la liste des abonnements !) Le Journal of the American Musicological Society a, comme vous le savez, une version papier et une version électronique disponibles pour abonnement. Bon nombre de mes articles sur le chant ainsi que mes rapports sur la base de données de Cantus sont enterrés dans des actes de colloque, mais peut-être qu’n jour Google Livres nous y donnera accès.

Featured Member: (Kenna Olsen, Mount Royal University)

Thu, 01 Feb 2018 13:58:17 GMT

Meet our latest Featured Medievalist: Dr. Kenna Olsen, who teaches at Mount Royal University

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

Usually with a controlled, "I teach medieval English lit at Mount Royal University." What sometimes follows are questions about if I also dress up in armour or watch Game of Thrones. This scenario actually happened last year when I WAS travelling to give a paper on post-medievals who like to dress in medieval costume, and Game of Thrones; this made me smile then and still makes me smile now.

What projects are you currently working on?

My research and teaching have both pivoted a bit to thinking about medievalisms. My project, "Emerging medievalisms," is really the hub the that binds all of my projects together. Because of the prevalence of medievalisms in our current popular culture, I've become interested in "emergence" and with my wonderful colleague, Ada Jaarsma who teaches philosophy at Mount Royal University, we are working on a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning project that examines “emergence” as an under-utilized yet valuable concept for SoTL, one that is useful as both theme for SoTL research and methodological commitment for scholarly teaching practices.

In my teaching, I've been creating some resources that I imagine as Open Educational Resources (OERs) in the near future. I'm testing a few of them out now in my own History of the English Language class - this project has got me thinking much more carefully and specifically about public access to medieval manuscripts and how it can support our teaching and learning.

I'm still working on my "Medieval Material Girls" project, which seeks to investigate how women in the Middle Ages participated in their literary culture (www.medievalmaterialgirls.ca), and I'm also busy with my "Medieval Material Memory Project," which questions how the medieval English material culture was influenced by encounters with artefacts of memorialisation, such as literature, or individual responses to environmental change.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

How happy and stimulated I feel in my life. The colleagues! Students! Friends!

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

I joined the CSM while I was in my very final stages of my PhD at the University of Calgary. The CSM is very encouraging towards "junior" scholars, and my paper at our annual meeting in Saskatoon (2007) was a way for me to meet the incredible community of Canadian medievalists.

Where can we find/read some of your work?

I'm very excited that my co-authored (with Murray McGillivray, University of Calgary) paper "Teaching Pearl in its Manuscript Context" is now in print from MLA in its collection, Approaches to Teaching the Middle English Pearl (2017). And I'll always be proud of my critical edition of Cleanness, which as part of The Cotton Nero A.x. Project can be found online at: www.gawain-ms.ca

Any final thoughts?

None of my thoughts are ever final.

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Vous arrivez à un aéroport pour un voyage de recherche et de l’agent de contrôle de frontière demande ce que vous faites dans la vie. Que répondez-vous ?

Habituellement, je réponds simplement, « j’enseigne la littérature médiévale à l’Université Mount Royal. » Ce qui suit parfois sont des questions sur si je porte aussi une armure ou si je regarde Game of Thrones. Ce scénario s’est réellement passé l’année dernière quand je voyageais pour presenter une recherche sur post-medievals qui aiment s’habiller en costumes médiévaux; cela m’a fait sourire alors et me fait encore sourire maintenant.

Sur quels projets travaillez-vous en ce moment ?

Mes recherches et l’enseignement ont tous deux évolué vers une réflexion sur le “médiévalisme”. Mon projet, « Emerging medievalisms, » est vraiment ce qui lie tous mes projets tous mes projets. En raison de la prévalence du médiévalisme dans notre culture populaire actuelle, je me suis intéressée au concept d’ “émergence” et avec mon mon formidable collègue, Ada Jaarsma qui enseigne la philosophie à l’Université Mount Royal, Où nous travaillons à une demande de bourse pour un projet d’enseignement et d’apprentissage, qui envisage le concept d’ « émergence » comme une notion une notion précieuse encore sous-utilisée pour l’avancement de la pédagogie dans l’enseignement supérieur. Nous l’utilisons comme thème de recherché et d’engagement méthodologique des pratiques d’enseignement universitaire.

Dans mon enseignement, j’ai créé quelques ressources qui deviendront j’espère des Ressources Éducatives Libres dans un proche avenir. Je teste quelques-unes d’entre elles en ce moment dans mon cours d’Histoire de la langue anglaise. Ce projet m’a fait penser beaucoup plus précisément à l’accès du public aux manuscrits médiévaux et comment cela peut améliorer notre enseignement et l’apprentissage.

Je travaille toujours sur mon projet « Medieval Material Girls », qui vise à étudier comment les femmes du Moyen Âge ont forge leur proper culture littéraire (www.medievalmaterialgirls.ca), et je suis aussi occupée avec mon « Medieval Memory Project, » qui interroge la manière dont la culture matérielle anglaise médiévale a été influencée par les interactions avec des artefacts de la memorialisation, tels que la littérature, ou des réponses individuelles aux changements environnementaux.

Qu’aimez-vous le plus dans le fait d’être médiéviste ?

À quel point je me sens heureuse et stimulée dans ma vie. Les collègues ! Les étudiants ! Les amis !

Pourquoi eêtes-vous membre de la Société canadienne des médiévistes (SCM)? À quelles autres sociétés appartenez-vous ?

J’ai rejoint la SCM pendant que j’étais dans la phase finale de ma thèse de doctorat à l’Université de Calgary. La SCM encourage beaucoup ses membres “juniors” et ma présentation lors de l’Assemblée annuelle à Saskatoon (2007) était une façon pour moi de rencontrer la communauté incroyable de médiévistes canadiens.

Où pouvons nous trouver/lire certains de vos travaux ?

Je suis très heureuse que mon papier co-écrit (avec Murray McGillivray, Université de Calgary) « Teaching Pearl in its Manuscript Context » soit maintenant parue au MLA dans sa collection, Approaches to Teaching the Middle English Pearl (2017). Et je suis toujours fière de mon édition critique de Cleanness, qui, dans le cadre de The Cotton Nero A.x. Project, peut être consultée en ligne à : www.gawain-ms.ca

Une dernière réflexion?

Aucune de mes réflexions n’est définitive.

Featured Member: Irina Dumitrescu (Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn))

Sat, 06 Jan 2018 04:54:18 GMT

Our featured member this time around is Irina Dumitrescu, Professor of English Medieval Studies at the Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn.

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

I teach English literature. When I was a grad student, I once made the mistake of telling a border guard I studied English, and he began cracking jokes along the lines of “Why would you do that? Don’t you know English already?” Tired after a long flight, I found it rather hard to laugh, so now I am very precise!

What projects are you currently working on?

Right now I’m working on a more experimental project than my previous work has been: a study of feminine charisma in the middle ages. I am interested in the way opposing qualities and ancient archetypes are used to craft representations of fascinating women in medieval texts, but also, more broadly, on how we have to think of charisma differently when it comes to female figures.

This is part of my increased interest in feminist studies, one I’m also pursuing in a number of collaborative projects. With Emily Butler and Hilary Fox I’m editing a book of over eighty micro-essays on Anglo-Saxon women. This is a broad ranging interpretative book featuring real and fictional women from the historical, literary, artistic, and archeological records. My Bonn colleague Emma Bérat and I are also co-editing a special issue of Medieval Feminist Forum on “Women’s Arts of the Body,” with essays on topics such as reproductive medicine, textile work, and beekeeping.

Eric Weiskott and I are co-editing a collection of essays in honour of Roberta Frank entitled The Shapes of Early English Poetry: Style, Form, History, under contract with Medieval Institute Publications. The essays focus on Old English, Old Norse, and Middle English poetry, and explore the connections between formal elements and the larger narratives of history.

I also have a second life as a creative writer, and am currently at the beginning stages of a book on the positive uses of imperfection. While the topic seems distant from my scholarship, in fact much of my scholarly work has been on the potential power of qualities or practices we tend to think of as negative.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

It’s the perfect job for a scholar who is curious about a lot of things, and doesn’t think in terms of traditional fields or single methodologies. One can think in all sorts of directions: across languages, across fields of study, in a single literary tradition but across periods.

The other reason I love it is that there is so much little-studied material. There’s a feeling of discovery, and of being able to make a substantial contribution to our understanding of the past.

When it comes to teaching, I love the fact that my students have never encountered – or even heard of – most of the texts I give them to read. I enjoy their surprise, their pleasure in conquering difficult material, and their excitement about doing research papers that at least have the potential of being original.

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

I’m Canadian and studied at the University of Toronto, but my career has since taken me to the United States and to Germany. At heart, however, I’ll always be a Canadian medievalist, and try to go to conferences in Canada when it’s feasible. I’d very much like to have closer contact with other Canadian scholars, ideally even to think of trans-Atlantic collaborations between institutions.

Where can we find/read some of your work?

My first monograph, The Experience of Education in Anglo-Saxon Literature will be published by Cambridge University Press in early 2018. I have also edited a book on the arts and humanities in times of crisis that was a project of love, if you will. It’s called Rumba Under Fire: The Arts of Survival from West Point to Delhi, and it’s available from Punctum Books. All of my scholarly and creative writing is linked to on http://irinadumitrescu.com .

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Vous arrivez à un aéroport pour un voyage de recherche et le douanier demande ce que vous faites. Comment répondez-vous ?

J’enseigne la littérature anglaise. Quand j’étais une étudiante diplômée, j’ai fait l’erreur de raconter un garde-frontière j’étudie l’anglais, et il commença la fissuration des blagues comme «pourquoi vous ferait cela? Ne sais-tu pas parler anglais déjà?» Fatiguée après un long vol, je l’ai trouvé assez difficile de rire, alors maintenant je suis très précise!

Sur quels projets travaillez-vous présentement?

En ce moment je travaille sur un projet plus expérimental que mon travail précédent: une étude de charisme féminin au moyen-âge. Je suis intéressé par la façon dans lesquelles qualités opposantes et anciens archétypes servent à construire des représentations de femmes fascinantes dans des textes médiévaux, mais aussi, plus largement, sur la façon dont nous devons penser différemment de charisme quand il s’agit de figures féminines.

Cela fait partie de mon intérêt en études féministes que je poursuis également dans un certain nombre de projets collaboratifs. Avec Emily Butler et Hilary Fox je suis rédacteur d’un livre de plus de quatre-vingts micro-essais sur les femmes de l’Anglo-Saxon. Il s’agit d’un livre d’interprétation allant large mettant en vedette des femmes réelles ou fictives des enregistrements historiques, littéraires, artistiques et archéologiques. Mon collègue à Bonn Emma Bérat et moi sommes également corédacteurs d’un numéro spécial du Medieval Feminist Forum sur les «Arts du corps féminin» avec des essais sur des sujets tels que la médecine de la reproduction, travail textile et l’apiculture.

Eric Weiskott et moi sommes corédacteurs d’une collection d’essais en l’honneur de Roberta Frank intitulé The Shapes of Early English Poetry: Style, Form, History, sous contrat avec les Medieval Institute Publications. Les essais se concentrent sur la poésie vieil anglais, vieux norrois et moyen anglais, et explorent les liens entre les éléments formels et les grands récits de l’histoire.

J’ai une seconde vie comme une écrivaine créative, aussi et suis actuellement aux premières étapes d’un livre sur les utilisations positives de l’imperfection. Alors que le sujet semble éloigné de mon travail, en fait une grande partie de mon travail de recherche a été sur la puissance potentielle des qualités ou des pratiques que nous avons tendance à considérer comme négatives.

Que pensez-vous est la meilleure partie d’être un médiéviste?

C’est le travail parfait pour une érudite qui est curieuse de connaître beaucoup de choses et ne pense pas en ce qui concerne les domaines traditionnels ou méthodologies simples. On peut penser à toutes sortes de directions: à travers les langues, dans des domaines d’étude, dans une tradition littéraire unique, mais dans l’ensemble des périodes.

L’autre raison que je l’aime, c’est qu’il y a tellement peu étudié matériel. Il y a un sentiment de découverte et d’être en mesure d’apporter une contribution substantielle à notre compréhension du passé.

Concernant l’enseignement, j’aime le fait que mes élèves n’ont jamais rencontré – ni même entendu parler – de la plupart des textes que je leur donner à lire. J’aime leur surprise, leur plaisir à la conquête des matières difficiles et leur enthousiasme à faire des documents de recherche qui ont au moins le potentiel d’être originaux.

Pourquoi vous êtes-vous enrôlé dans le SMC? À quelles autres sociétés appartenez-vous?

Je suis canadienne et a étudié à l’Université de Toronto, mais ma carrière m’a pris aux États-Unis et en Allemagne. Cependant, je suis toujours une médiéviste canadienne et essaie d’aller à des conférences au Canada quand c’est faisable. Je voudrais avoir des contacts plus étroits avec d’autres chercheurs canadiens, idéalement même de penser à des collaborations transatlantiques entre institutions.

Où pouvons-nous trouver/lire certains de vos travaux?

Ma première monographie, The Experience of Education in Anglo-Saxon Literature sera publié par Cambridge University Press en 2018. J’ai aussi édité un livre sur les arts et les sciences humaines en temps de crise qui était un projet de l’amour, si vous voulez. On l’appelle Rumba Under Fire: The Arts of Survival from West Point to Delhi. Tous mon écriture savante et créative est liée à sur http://irinadumitrescu.com.

Featured Member: Jennifer Bain (Dalhousie University)

Wed, 29 Nov 2017 19:54:23 GMT

Our newest featured member is Jennifer Bain.

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

I usually just say that I’m a university professor, but then they usually ask “what do you teach?” If I say music, I’m always asked next, “Oh yeah, how many instruments do you play?” Once instead of “music” I said “medieval music” and the border control agent said, “That sounds boring!”.

What projects are you currently working on?

I’m working on a big collaborative project, Cantus Ultimus, teaching computers how to read medieval chant manuscripts (cantus.simssa.ca). I love working on a team and learning about various aspects of computing, and it’s led to many unusual side projects including developing a music exhibit as part of a large 6-month exhibition at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia: Centuries of Silence: the discovery of the Salzinnes Antiphonal (https://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/exhibitions/centuries-silence-discovery-salzinnes-antiphonal).

A solo project that I’ve been working on recently is a reception history. Using materials from the State Archive in Wiesbaden, I’ve been reconstructing a WWII story about the status of two Wiesbaden manuscripts containing works of Hildegard of Bingen. Both were sent to a bank vault in Dresden during the war, and miraculously survived the bombing. One, the Scivias manuscript, was pillaged and remains lost, while the other, the so-called “Riesencodex”, was left behind in the vault and was later seized officially by Soviet authorities. The story of the return of the Riesencodex to Wiesbaden is a fascinating window on the early days of the Cold War, and involves a lot of deception and a number of thwarted plans.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

The people (and the manuscripts!) I’ve met along the way.

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

I think it’s important to be part of a national community of scholars. I belong to a number of music societies including the International Musicological Society and its study group, Cantus planus, the American Musicological Society, the Society for Music Theory, the Canadian University Music Society, the Plainsong and Mediaeval Music Society, the Gregorian Institute of Canada, and an interdisciplinary society, the International Machaut Society.

Where can we find/read some of your work?

My book, Hildegard of Bingen and Musical Reception: the Modern Revival of a Medieval Composer, can be found on Google Books, or if you want to read the whole thing you can purchase it through amazon.ca.

Any final thoughts?

A group of colleagues and I are planning to start up a manuscript fragment site for fragments from chant manuscripts. If you happen to have a folio of chant hanging on your office wall, please be in touch!

***

Vous arrivez à un aéroport pour un voyage de recherche et le douanier demande ce que vous faites. Comment répondez-vous ?

Habituellement, je dis simplement que je suis professeure d’université, mais ensuite ils demandent généralement « Quel sujet enseignez-vous? » Si je dis musique, ils m’interroge toujours de suite, « Oh oui, combien d’instruments jouez-vous ? » Une fois, au lieu de « musique » j’ai dit « musique médiévale » et le douanier dit, « Cela semble ennuyeux ! »

Sur quels projets travaillez-vous présentement?

Je travaille sur un grand projet collaboratif, Cantus Ultimus, qui consiste à enseigner aux ordinateurs à lire des manuscrits médiévaux de chant (cantus.simssa.ca). J’aime travailler en équipe et apprendre divers aspects de l’informatique, et de nombreux projets latéraux inhabituels dérive de cette expérience, notamment l’élaboration d’une pièce de musique dans le cadre d’une grande exposition de 6 mois à l’Art Gallery of Nova Scotia : siècles de Silence : la découverte de l’Antiphonaire de Salzinnes (https://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/exhibitions/centuries-silence-discovery-salzinnes-antiphonal).

Un projet solo sur quel j’ai travaillé récemment est une histoire de la réception. À l’aide de matériaux provenant des Archives de l’État à Wiesbaden, j’ai reconstruis une histoire qui a eu lieu pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, au sujet du statut de deux manuscrits de Wiesbaden contenant des œuvres de Hildegarde de Bingen. Tous les deux ont été envoyés à un coffre de banque à Dresde pendant la guerre et ont miraculeusement survécu au bombardement. . Un, le manuscrit du Scivias, est pillé et reste perdu, tandis que l’autre, le soi-disant « Riesencodex », fut laissé dans la chambre forte et fut par la suite saisi officiellement par les autorités soviétiques. L’histoire du retour du Riesencodex à Wiesbaden offre une perspective fascinante sur les premières phases de la guerre froide et implique beaucoup de déception et un certain nombre de plans contrariés.

Que pensez-vous est la meilleure partie d’être un médiéviste?

Les gens (et les manuscrits!) que j’ai rencontrés au long du chemin.

Pourquoi vous êtes-vous enrôlé dans le SMC? À quelles autres sociétés appartenez-vous ?

Je pense qu’il est important de faire partie d’une communauté savante nationale . J’appartiens à un certain nombre de sociétés de musique, dont l’International Musicological Society et son groupe d’étude, Cantus planus, the American Musicological Society, la Société pour la théorie de la musique, la Société canadienne de musique de l’université, la Société du plain-chant et de la musique médiéval, l’Institut grégorien du Canada, et une société interdisciplinaire, la Société internationale de Machaut.

Où pouvons-nous trouver/lire certains de vos travaux?

Mon livre, Hildegard of Bingen and Musical Reception: the Modern Revival of a Medieval Composer, peut être trouvé sur Google Books, ou si vous voulez le lire en entiers vous pouvez l’acheter sur amazon.ca!

Quelles sont vos dernières pensées?

Un groupe de collègues et moi avons l’intention de lancer un site de fragment de manuscrit pour les fragments de manuscrits de chant. Si vous avez un folio du chant accroché sur le mur de votre bureau, veuillez être en contact !

Featured Member: Stephanie Morley (St. Mary's University)

Thu, 28 Sep 2017 19:41:59 GMT

Our Featured Medievalist this month is Stephanie Morley!

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

I say I teach at Saint Mary’s University, which is true. I’m generally grumpy about air travel and this answer garners the least amount of eye-rolling (or anti-intellectualist commentary) from border agents sufficient to get me through security with the least exasperation, even though it’s not the whole story. I always indicate the trip is for pleasure, when it is for work, because that is a path of least resistance. I think I should alter this strategy. Work is work, and should be valued as such.

Crossing the Blue Water Bridge to attend Kalamazoo is a notable exception. Usually by the time I cross, the border agents have encountered so many medievalists on their way to Congress that they are actually interested in what I (we) do. And extra points for the guy who asked if I had any firearms or medieval broadswords to declare.

It must be said that my border crossings are only ever uneventful, if sometimes irritating. Many of my colleagues and friends are not as lucky as I.

What projects are you currently working on?

With my eminent colleague, Brandon Alakas, I am working on the first scholarly edition of Richard Whitford’s Diverse Holy Instructions for the Exeter Medieval Texts and Studies series at Liverpool University Press. I’m also working on a student edition of Lady Margaret Beaufort’s Middle English translations of two devotional texts for the TEAMS Middle English Texts series. Editing is bloody-minded work. Oddly satisfying, but bloody-minded.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

The money.

Where can we find/read some of your work?

My most recent article appears in Devotional Literature and Practice in Medieval England (K.R. Vulic, S. Uselmann, C.A. Grise, eds.), a collection of essays on the reading and reception of devotional literature in England. It’s a fantastic book and I am pleased and proud to be included alongside such excellent, thoughtful work. http://www.brepols.net/Pages/ShowProduct.aspx?prod_id=IS-9782503530291-1

You will also find some of my work, albeit more ephemeral, at the upcoming Atlantic Medieval Association’s annual meeting, being held this year at Dalhousie University 22-23 September 2017. Along with Jennifer Bain at Dalhousie, I am co-organising the SSHRC-funded conference, Material Matters, celebrating the return of the Salzinnes Antiphonal to Saint Mary’s University. The antiphonal is a lushly illustrated sixteenth-century manuscript from the Cistercian Abbey of Namur (Belgium) that offers an important glimpse into the history of female monasticism, music and book production in the period. The conference, comprising papers that consider the variety of interdisciplinary aspects involved in the study of medieval manuscripts, coincides with an exhibition on the antiphonal at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and includes a concert performance by the Belgian ensemble Psallentes of music from the antiphonal.

Halifax is absolutely lovely in the fall. You should come.

https://materialmattershalifax.wordpress.com

https://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/exhibitions/centuries-silence-discovery-salzinnes-antiphonal

Vous arrivez à un aéroport pour un voyage de recherche et l’agent de contrôle de frontière demande ce que vous faites. Comment répondez-vous ?

Je dis que j’enseigne à l’Université de Saint Mary's, ce qui est vrai. Je suis généralement grincheuse pendant les voyages aériens et cette réponse attire le moins de frustration (ou commentaire anti-intellectualiste) des agents frontaliers, même si ce n’est pas toute l’histoire. Je dis toujours que le voyage est pour le plaisir, même lorsqu’il s’agi de travail, parce que c’est le chemin le plus facile. Je pense à changer cette stratégie. Mon travail est mon travail et doit être apprécié en tant que tel.

Traverser le pont Blue Water à Kalamazoo constitue une exception notable. Habituellement quand je le traverse, les agents frontaliers ont déjà rencontré tant de médiévistes se rendant au congrès qu’ils sont réellement intéressés par ce qu’on fait. Et des points supplémentaires pour le gars qui a demandé si j’avais des armes à feu ou sabres médiévaux à déclarer.

Il faut dire que mes passages frontaliers ne sont jamais sans incident, et parfois même irritants. Beaucoup de mes collègues et amis ne sont pas aussi chanceux.

Sur quels projets travaillez-vous présentement?

Avec mon éminent collègue, Brandon Alakas, je travaille sur la première édition savante du Diverse Holy Instructions de Richard Whitford pour l’Exeter Medieval Texts and Studies Series à Liverpool University Press. Je travaille également sur une édition étudiante des traductions en anglais médiéval de Lady Margaret Beaufort de deux textes dévotionnels pour la série TEAMS Middle English Texts. C’est un travail bestial. Étrangement satisfaisant, mais bestial.

Que pensez-vous est la meilleure partie d’être un médiéviste ?

L'argent.

Où pouvons-nous trouver/lire certains de vos travaux ?

Mon plus récent article apparaît dans la littérature de dévotion et de la pratique dans l’Angleterre médiévale (K.R. Vulic, S. Uselmann, C.A. Grise, eds.), un recueil d’essais sur la lecture et la réception de la littérature de dévotion en Angleterre. C’est un livre fantastique et je suis heureuse et fière de figurer aux côtés de tel travail excellent et pensif. http://www.brepols.net/Pages/ShowProduct.aspx?prod_id=IS-9782503530291-1

Vous trouverez également certains de mes travaux, quoique plus éphémères, à la réunion annuelle de l’Association médiévale de l’Atlantique, qui aura lieu cette année à l’Université Dalhousie du 22 au 23 septembre. Avec Jennifer Bain de Dalhousie, je suis co-organisatrice de la Conférence Material Matters, financée par le CRSH. Cette conférence célèbre le retour de l’Antiphonaire de Salzinnes à l’Université Saint Mary. L’Antiphonaire est un manuscrit du XVI siècle de l’abbaye cistercienne de Namur (Belgique), somptueusement illustré, qui offre un aperçu important du monachisme féminin ainsi que de la musique, et production de livres à cette époque. La conférence, qui inclue des présentations considérant les divers aspects interdisciplinaires impliqués dans l’étude des manuscrits médiévaux, coïncide avec une exposition sur l’Antiphonaire à la Gallerie d’Art de la Nouvelle Ecosse et un concert présenté par l’Ensemble Psallentes. Halifax est absolument magnifique à l’automne. Vous devriez venir.

https://materialmattershalifax.wordpress.com

https://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/exhibitions/centuries-silence-discovery-salzinnes-antiphonal

Featured Member: Andrew Klein (Wabash College)

Andrew Klein — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 18:52:14 GMT

This month's featured CSM member is our very own webmaster, Andrew Klein!

Education

I received my B.A. at the University of Saskatchewan, in English. There I also completed a Masters in Interdisciplinary Studies. More recently, I completed my doctoral studies in English at the University of Notre Dame.

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

I would like to say I don’t flub this simple question – but many of us do under the skeptical stare of the weary border-control officer, don’t we? The combined effects of a border officer in Calais dismissing my long-winded explanation of what I do with “Well, that’s booooring” and an American border officer’s scoffing disbelief that any school would pay me a stipend to study the Middle Ages have meant that I can never really steer myself through this ordeal without stammering embarrassingly incoherent responses. Usually the word “professor” is met with some dim glimmer of recognition in my oppressor’s eyes.

What projects are you currently working on?

Though the semester’s beginning means that projects are beginning to languish, I am looking forward to turning my dissertation (which focuses on England the nation, internationally conceived) into a book, and I have been working on an article on digital visualizations of natural imagery in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and another on the derogatory trope of Scottish footwear. I’ve got a few pieces on bobs, wheels, and manuscript mise-en-page coming down the pipe as well.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

Other than the people you meet? The breadth of the area. Being a medievalist has opened me up to such a variety of scholarship and scholars. It can be a pain to be expected to teach a thousand years’ worth of literature, but I’m always stretching myself because of it, and meeting interesting folks along the way. The word “medievalist” can also raise eyebrows in a really satisfying way outside of academic circles.

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

When I was an undergraduate looking to do graduate work, my soon-to-be supervisor, Dr. Yin Liu, said I ought to consider joining. I’m glad that I have: the CSM is a warm, supportive community even when one isn’t able to make it to the annual meetings, and for those of us now living in Trumpland, having a (any!) connection to the motherland is a real boon. I also belong to the Medieval Academy of America, The New Chaucer Society, and The International Arthurian Society.

Where can we find/read some of your work?

The latest volume of Studies in Iconography (2016) has a piece in it by me. I’ve co-authored another piece on mise-en-page that will be coming out, hopefully in 2017, in a collection titled The Medieval Literary beyond Form from Boydell and Brewer.

Any final thoughts?

Teaching at a liberal arts college (Wabash College) has really made me aware of how fortunate we are to have an active, genial community of Canadian medievalists, now connected via the web. I’m glad to have a part in managing the website – and I hope I can bring some useful updates to the site in the near future.

Featured Member: Siobhain Bly Calkin (Carleton University)

Andrew Klein — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 18:56:22 GMT

Education

BA Hons McGill University; MA Queens University at Kingston; PhD University of Notre Dame

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

University Professor

What projects are you currently working on?

Narratives of Impassioned Things: Tales of Christian Passion Relics and Their Circulation in Muslim Contexts as told across a variety of genres (chronicles, romances, chansons de geste, letters); also a study of translation and manuscript form in a Middle English romance

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

The colleagues! Also the opportunity to study and communicate some sense of the importance and appeal of medieval texts and ideas to modern people and their concerns

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

I joined the CSM to stand up and be counted as a medievalist working in Canada and to foster the study of the Middle Ages in Canada. Our membership numbers are annually reported to CFHSS, which lobbies the government for humanities and social sciences funding and to which most university administrators belong. If I want medieval studies to be identified as a vibrant avenue of scholarly investigation, study and teaching at administrative and bureaucratic levels in Canada (which I do), then the CSM is the main organization to belong to. I also think it is a great chance to meet medievalists from many disciplines across Canada and share both research interests/work AND the lived experiences of medievalists navigating political and bureaucratic policies and trends in Canada. I also belong to the Medieval Academy, the MLA, The International Arthurian Society (North American Branch), the New Chaucer Society, and the Early English Text Society

Where can we find/read some of your work?

http://carleton.ca/english/people/bly-calkin-siobhain/ or www.academia.edu

Featured Member: Robert Marcoux (Université Laval)

Andrew Klein — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 18:57:59 GMT

This month's featured member is Robert Marcoux at Université Laval!

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

University professor

What projects are you currently working on?

The resurrection of Lazarus in text and image in the Western Middle Ages; the body, death, and the image: reflections on the aesthetic of the macabre (13th-15th C)

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

Being in a position to bring a critical approach to Western civilization, by examining its structures and its representational system.

Why did you join the CSM?

To become part of a community, and to have more occasions to have a drink with like-minded people!

Where can we find/read some of your work?

https://ulaval.academia.edu/RobertMarcoux

Featured Member: Kristin Bourassa (University of Southern Denmark)

Andrew Klein — Sat, 05 Nov 2016 18:59:30 GMT

Education

I did my BA (History and Medieval Studies) and my MA (History with Specialization in Medieval and Renaissance Studies) both at the University of Ottawa, and my PhD (History) at the University of York, UK. Now I work as a postdoc and academic manager at the Centre for Medieval Literature (History department, University of Southern Denmark & Department of English and Related Literature, University of York).

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

As a Canadian working in Denmark with a history of student visas in the UK, I get asked this question a lot. Right now it usually goes something like:

Canadian border control: “What are you doing in Denmark?”

Me: “I…work at a Centre for Medieval Literature?”

Canadian border control: “…you don’t hear that every day.”

What projects are you currently working on?

I have two main research projects on the go right now. The first is the process of publishing parts of my PhD research as articles. I have a new one forthcoming in Florilegium, “The King and his Relatives in Political Literature for Charles VI of France,” and am working on a book chapter on the 15th-century manuscripts of Philippe de Mézières’ Songe du viel pelerin, originally completed in 1389.

I’m also writing a monograph tentatively titled Pierre Salmon’s Dialogues and Political Literature in Late-Medieval France. The book will look at two remarkable manuscripts: the two very different authorial versions of a text editorially titled the Dialogues based on it being partly framed as a record of a conversation ostensibly held between Charles VI of France and Salmon, who worked as the king’s secretary. The manuscripts both contain extensive image programs as well as multiple textual genres (mirror for princes, autobiography, catechism, letters…), and my monograph will explore the role of these genres in 15th-century attempts to intervene in political conversations using literature, as well as the way Salmon’s record of the conversations he had and letters he exchanged with influential figures of the day propose a model of the political community in 15th-century France. You can see the manuscripts online here http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b84546920.r=fr%2023279?rk=21459;2 and here http://www.e-codices.ch/en/searchresult/list/one/bge/fr0165.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

I’ve always enjoyed the way the medieval can be both utterly alien and completely familiar. On the one hand, from a modern perspective there’s something extremely bizarre about describing the king of France as a white falcon with golden feet, a golden beak, and a crown, and then sticking that falcon in the middle of a chessboard and telling him each square of the board has a lesson on how to govern better. But on the other hand, there’s something extremely familiar about people using available media to have political conversations (think Rick Mercer’s rants or late-night talk shows). And I always get a laugh out of medieval complaints that kids these days just wear their clothes too tight and reveal too much to passers-by.

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

I was urged to join during my MA so I could participate in the CSM’s annual conference, which took place at Carleton that year. I remember being really confused about the relationship between the CSM conference and the rest of the activities on campus – Congress is a baffling model for a rookie, but now that I get how it works, I love it.

I’m also a member of the Society for the Study of French History, the Société des études médiévales du Québec, the Medieval Academy of America, and the Society for the Study of Medieval Languages and Literature (Medium Aevum).

Where can we find/read some of your work?

In addition to my forthcoming Florilegium article, I recently (2016) published “The Royal Entries of Henry VI in a London Civic Manuscript” in the Journal of Medieval History, and in 2015 my chapter “Reconfiguring Queen Truth in BnF Ms. Fr. 22542 (Songe du vieil pelerin)” came out in Textual and Visual Representations of Power and Justice in Medieval France: Manuscripts and Early Printed Books, edited by Rosalind Brown-Grant, Anne D. Hedeman, and Bernard Ribémont (Ashgate).

In an unusual move for a UK PhD, I didn’t put an embargo on the digital version of my PhD thesis, “Counselling Charles VI of France: Christine de Pizan, Honorat Bovet, Pierre Salmon, and Philippe de Mézières,” so it’s free to download. You can find links to all my work here: https://kristinbourassa.wordpress.com/research/. I’m also on Twitter (@kristinbourassa).

Any final thoughts?

Being the current CSM PR officer has made me realize how many interesting things Canadian medievalists are doing all around the world! If you’re also on Twitter, please consider subscribing to our Twitter list Canmedieval, https://twitter.com/canMedievalists/lists/canmedieval. And remember to email canmedievalistsPR@gmail.com for your own Medievalist of the Month feature!

Featured Member: David Watt (University of Manitoba)

Andrew Klein — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 19:01:09 GMT

October 2016's Medievalist of the Month is CSM President David Watt (University of Manitoba)!

Education

BA, MA: University of Alberta

M.St., D.Phil: St Anne’s College, University of Oxford

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

Nervously. I always get the sense that the border control agent is going to say, incredulously, “Are you really a medievalist?” causing my sense of imposter syndrome to kick in. “You’re right,” I can see myself admitting, “I’m not smart enough to be a medievalist. I can’t believe how long it took for someone to catch me.”

What projects are you currently working on?

I am currently working on a special issue of Florilegium that focuses on Medieval Manuscripts in Canada. It is great to learn about some of the projects that are currently underway in Canada. I hope that anyone reading this might be able to send me information about their holdings or an article about a manuscript or collection. I am also working on a book called Awkwardness and Grace. It explores awkwardness as a literary as well as a social experience, focusing on what I have come to call “the long fifteenth century” (though that’s really so that I can justify including the Pearl-manuscript at one end of a study of fifteenth-century texts and Skelton at the other!).

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

Frequently having to defend the value of what I do. I used to think this was a drawback, and it certainly can be. However, I have now come to think of this as an advantage. Having to explain and defend what I do to others gives me a chance to ask myself whether I value what I do. At the end of his book Juvenescence, Robert Harrison (a medievalist by training) argues that learning serves “no purpose at all, except the enhancement of life. In the human sphere learning is life, and life is learning.” As a medievalist, I have the chance to help others to enhance their lives by learning about the past. The medieval past can help us to understand the kinds of learning that persist, either because they are so enduring or because they are worth fighting for. Having to defend the value of what I do as a medievalist has helped me to understand that the purpose of learning is the enhancement of life.

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

I first came to a meeting of the CSM because I wanted to stay active in the Canadian community when I was studying abroad. I stayed involved because the CSM is such a friendly, supportive, and intellectually stimulating group of people. Although I am not someone who naturally loves conferences, I thoroughly enjoy CSM meetings because I learn so much about work outside my area and because I always feel I am amongst people who support me. I am also member of the Early Book Society, the New Chaucer Society, the Medieval Academy, and the Modern Language Association.

Where can we find/read some of your work?

You can read my book, The Making of Thomas Hoccleve’s Series, or publications in The Journal of the Early Book Society, Renaissance and Reformation, and Leeds Studies in English as well as articles in Pedagogy and SMART, which both focus on teaching. You can also read my introductions and student editions of Hoccleve and Malory’s Tale of Gareth in the Broadview Anthology of British Literature.

Any final thoughts?

Whenever I talk to people—from elementary-school-aged children to university students to adults—I find that they are enthusiastic about learning about the past, especially the distant past. While many of us feel obliged to spend time defending the humanities, I would like to spend more of my time talking about the ways that we can share our love of learning about the medieval period with others. I know many Canadian medievalists are currently doing this in their classrooms or through outreach work, and I would love to hear more about it.

Featured Member: Lynn Arner (Brock University)

Andrew Klein — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:02:01 GMT

We begin the 2016-17 academic year with a profile from Lynn Arner, Associate Professor in the Department of English at Brock University!

Education

I have a PhD in English and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies. My first two degrees are from Canada, while my last set of degrees is from the U.S.

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

I teach medieval English literature, contemporary theory, and gender studies at Brock University. After teaching in a visiting post at the University of Pittsburgh for several years, I teach in the region where I grew up.

What projects are you currently working on?

I am currently working on two projects. The first is a study of class and gender in the professoriate in the discipline of English in Canada and the U.S., a project for which I have won a SSHRC Insight Development Grant. The second is scholarship on discourses of civility in late medieval England.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

I think that medieval literature and history are invaluable to teach because of their historical alterity. Such alterity helps denaturalize our current assumptions about gender, class, race, sexuality, and so many other important rubrics and cultural narratives. Of course, there is some historical continuity from late medieval England to now: for example, England began its long, brutal history of colonization in the late Middle Ages, by colonizing the Welsh and by attempting to colonize the Scots and the Irish. Once students learn about the Crusades, they often have a different understanding of European and American involvement in the Middle East now.

The less erudite side of me adores medieval literature because I enjoy strong narratives and because I still giggle over many words from dead languages. For example, an Anglo-Saxon would “unlock his word-hoard,” and an ancient Roman ate placenta [cake].

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

I joined the CSM because of its annual convention, which is a great way to meet other medievalists across Canada.

I am a member of the Modern Language Association, the New Chaucer Society, the Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship, the Working-Class Studies Association, and a founding member of The Gower Project.

Where can we find/read some of your work?

My first scholarly monograph was Chaucer, Gower, and the Vernacular Rising: Poetry and the Problem of the Populace After 1381(Research Triangle, PA: Penn State University Press, 2013). I also edited a special issue of Exemplaria (2007).

My most cited article is “The Ends of Enchantment: Colonialism and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” Texas Studies in Literature and Language 48.2 (2006); 79-101. This article was also my most frustrating essay because it took me over seven years to get it published. [My advice to PhD students: tenacity is crucial for success in the profession.]

My webpage has links to some of my work: https://brocku.ca/humanities/departments-and-centres/english-language-and-literature/faculty-and-staff-el/lynn-arner.

Any final thoughts?

I am often asked, “Don’t you hate the latest Hollywood movie on King Arthur” [or Robin Hood, etc.]? I respond, “I love such movies, T.V. programs, and video games---the more, the better.” At a time when the Humanities are under attack in Canada and the U.S., pop culture representations of the Middle Ages help provide a steady flow of students into our medieval courses.

Thanks, Lynn! Remember, all members are welcome to contribute a Medievalist of the Month profile to canmedievalistsPR@gmail.com.

Featured Member: Robin Norris (Carleton University)

Andrew Klein — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 19:03:26 GMT

April showers bring May flowers...and a new Medievalist of the Month, Robin Norris of Carleton University!

Would you like to be the next medievalist of the month? Get in touch at canmedievalistsPR@gmail.com. New medievalists currently sought for May, June, July, and August!

Education

B.A., English and Linguistcs double major at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, with a year at Trinity College Dublin. M.A., Ohio State. Ph.D., University of Toronto.

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

I am a professor in the English Department at Carleton. If they ask what I teach, I tell them I teach medieval literature and the history of the English language. Then there usually follows a love it or hate it reaction.

What projects are you currently working on?

I am collaborating with Johanna Kramer (University of Missouri) and Hugh Magennis (Queens University, Belfast) on a collection of 22 anonymous Old English saints’ lives to be published in 2017 by Harvard University Press for Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library. Each text has been reedited with an introduction and translation. This will likely require two volumes! I am responsible for six lives: Giles, James, Machutus, Mildred, Neot, Pantaleon. Over reading week, we three editors will meet at Dumbarton Oaks Research Library in Washington, DC, to finalize the project, which goes to press on July 1.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

One of the best things about being a medievalist is understanding where English came from and how the language has changed over time. This is also an interesting time to be teaching as a medievalist because our popular culture seems to be obsessed with the medieval world.

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

There are some amazing medievalists working in Canada. I also belong to ISAS and the Babel Working Group.

Where can we find/read some of your work?

I have published in a number of journals and edited collections. I have one piece online about film adaptations of Beowulf: “Resistance to Genocide in the Postmodern Beowulf.” Literature Compass 8 (2011): 435–8. I have a recent article out in Anglo-Saxon England 2014: “The Sevenfold-Fivefold-Threefold Litany of the Saints in the Leofric Missal and Beyond.” This question makes me wonder if I should get on academia.edu…

Any final thoughts?

Marc Saurette and I co-founded a new minor in Medieval and Early Modern studies. He taught the first of our core courses this fall.

On July 1, I will become chair of my department.

Featured Member: Kouky Fianu (University of Ottawa)

Andrew Klein — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 19:04:18 GMT

March 2016's Medievalist of the Month is Kouky Fianu (University of Ottawa):

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

That I'm a Professor of Medieval History.

What projects are you currently working on?

I'm finishing a book on the notaries of Orléans at the end of the Middle Ages, and starting a new project on the management of documents and archives at the Hôtel-Dieu of Orléans (12th-17th centuries).

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

Working on a fascinating period, on a world so different from and yet so linked to our own. Understanding western civilization in-depth. Needing other disciplines (literature, philosophy, languages, etc) and a strong comparative dimension.

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

It's important to have Canadian representation and contacts with others working on the period in Canada, to avoid isolation and to make it known that we exist. I am also a member of the SEMQ and of LAMOP (Laboratoire de médiévistique occidentale de Paris).

Where can we find/read some of your work?

On my departmental website and in university libraries.

Remember, to contribute your own profile to medievalist of the month get in touch at canmedievalistsPR@gmail.com!

Featured Member: Sheryl McDonald Werronen (University of Copenhagen)

Andrew Klein — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 19:06:52 GMT

To open 2016, we have Sheryl McDonald Werronen as January's Medievalist of the Month!

Education

PhD in English, focusing on Old Norse literature, University of Leeds (2013).

MA in Medieval English Literature, University of Leeds (2009).

BA (Honours) in Medieval Studies with a minor in Linguistics, University of Victoria (2008).

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

When I’m asked what I do when travelling, I usually just say I’m an academic. If I’m arriving in Iceland or Denmark, I’ll often add that I do research on Old Norse literature and manuscripts, since this usually doesn’t seem too ‘out there’ to the border control agents in those countries!

What projects are you currently working on?

Since finishing my doctoral research on late medieval Old Norse romance, I’m finding my work is increasingly moving into post-medieval spheres. I find this especially exciting because post-Reformation Iceland’s literature and cultural attitudes are often concerned with the country’s medieval works of literature (which continue to be copied by hand), so I also get to think about the Middle Ages from a new point of view. My current projects reflect this:

I’m just starting a new postdoctoral research project at the University of Copenhagen’s Arnamagnæan Institue, funded by the European Commission through a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship. I will be researching the manuscripts and scribal networks connected to a wealthy and influential Icelander named Magnús Jónsson í Vigur, who lived in the 17th century. The manuscripts contain a huge amount of Old Norse literature, so I will be thinking a lot about the early reception of medieval texts and the relationship between script and print in Iceland. One of the main outputs of this project will be an electronic edition of one of Magnús’s manuscripts.
I’m collaborating with three colleagues to prepare an edition of Ambrósíus saga og Rósamundu, an Icelandic text that first appears in manuscript around 1700, based on a Danish story that uses well-known motifs and themes from medieval literature, including the ‘pound of flesh’ motif.

In addition to these larger projects, I’m also working on other publications, including a short introductory book on Old Norse literature that I was invited to write by Kismet Press, a new UK-based Open Access publisher.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

I love how diverse the field of medieval studies is — not simply in terms of the vast span of time we’ve agreed to lump together as ‘medieval’, but in terms of the variety of approaches we use to study the period, the many different sub-fields, and the intrinsically interdisciplinary nature of what many (if not all) of us do.

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

In 2015 I noticed the CSM’s increased presence on social media and this reminded me that I had been considering joining for a while. Having been in Europe for the past 7+ years the CSM was not at first an obvious society to join (unfortunately it wasn’t on my radar as an undergraduate), but since finishing my PhD in 2013, I’ve wanted to extend and re-establish my network back into Canada.

I am also a member of the Viking Society for Northern Research, based in the UK.

Where can we find/read some of your work?

My first book, Popular Romance in Iceland, will be out in 2016 from Amsterdam University Press, and I’ve published articles in Saga-Book, Digital Philology, Bulletin of International Medieval Research, and Leeds Studies in English. I’m also active on Twitter (@smcdwer) and during September 2015, I tweeted about a different Old Norse romance every day with the hashtag #riddarasaga; it’s this kind of literature that my forthcoming book discusses. The CSM was also kind enough to re-tweet some of this at the time, and a full archive can be accessed from my website.

Any final thoughts?

I’m really glad to be a member of the CSM, and it’s been lovely hearing about other members through Medievalist of the Month! I look forward to the possibility of meeting these and other members at conferences in the future.

Featured Member: John Osborne (Carleton University)

Andrew Klein — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 19:05:46 GMT

Happy February! This month's profile is of Professor John Osborne (Art History, Carleton University).

Education

B.A. Art History, Carleton University (1973); M.A. Medieval Studies, U of Toronto (1974); Ph.D. History of Art, Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London (1979)

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

Professor of Medieval Studies

What projects are you currently working on?

Book on “Rome in the 8th century”; co-editing a volume on the Roman church of S. Maria Antiqua

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

Direct encounters with the material culture/physical legacy of the Middle Ages (manuscripts, buildings, etc.), I still remember the first time I held a medieval manuscript in my hands!

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

I wanted to help promote medieval studies in Canada. Others include: Medieval Academy of America, Italian Art Society, International Center of Medieval Art

Where can we find/read some of your work?

Papers of the British School at Rome; Gesta; Byzantion; Early Medieval Europe; Mediaeval Studies; The Burlington Magazine; RACAR; Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte; and of course Florilegium!

Any final thoughts?

Medieval Studies rocks! I cannot think of any subject that is more fascinating, more challenging, and ultimately more intellectually rewarding.

Featured Member: Sara Ellis Nilsson (University of Gothenburg)

Andrew Klein — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 19:08:39 GMT

December 2015's Medievalist of the Month is Sara Ellis Nilsson. Sara, a lecturer at the University of Gothenburg, tells us...:

I have a PhD in History from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden; an MA in Medieval Studies (early) from the University of York, UK; and a BA in Psychology and Medieval Studies from the University of British Columbia.

You’re arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

Good question! I would probably mention the specifics of the research trip (e.g. going to the British Library to read some old books on saints), that I am a medievalist whose speciality is the early Scandinavian Middle Ages in general and early Scandinavian social history in particular. I assume that my answer would prompt a “what exactly is that?!” response (or dead silence), and I would regale them with a short lecture on the Christianization, the cults of saints and how fragments of liturgical books are integral to understanding history, at which point they would either sign up for my course or fall asleep.

What projects are you currently working on?

My PhD research focused on the new cults of local saints that appeared in Scandinavia in connection with the region’s Christianization. An important part of the project was identifying when and where the veneration of the new saints began, while a comparative approach highlighted the situation in Denmark and Sweden and identified similarities or differences elsewhere in medieval Europe. The main source material included fragments of the earliest liturgical books.

As a new post-doctoral researcher, I am currently in a transition period and am working on developing a postdoc project on the presentation of medieval bishops in Scandinavian hagiography. Otherwise, I am also starting work on a project on the experience of disability in early medieval Scandinavia, partly linked to the relationship between parents and children in that period.

At present, I am also finishing several forthcoming articles based on my dissertation, in addition to another article (the idea for which emerged during work on my thesis) which develops a theoretical approach to identifying popular piety in the source-poor early medieval period in Scandinavia. In addition, I plan to continue my research on early Scandinavian Calendar fragments and the so-called “red days” on which my dissertation is partly based, extending it to include all holy days throughout the entire medieval period.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

One of the best parts of being a medievalist is that you do not have to feel trapped in one discipline. By that, I mean you can identify with, for example, archaeologists and at the same time, sympathize with historians. The flexibility of the field is inviting, while the humour shared by most medievalists makes some tougher aspects of academic life bearable. Plus, it is a fascinating time period and the books are (mostly) written on parchment!

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

The reason I initially joined the CMS (on Twitter!) is simply because I am a Canadian and a medievalist. Plus, I’m currently living overseas and I would like to keep in touch with what is going on in medieval studies in Canada.

I also belong to a number of other societies more specifically related to my research: Hagiographica Septentrionalia – Society for Hagiographic Studies and PREMODs (Premodern Nordic interdisciplinary network for PhD candidates and post-docs). Moreover, as I have been based in Sweden for a number of years, I belong to the Swedish History Society (Svenska historiska föreningen) for historians.

Where can we find/read some of your work?

I have published articles online in the journals The Heroic Age and Mirator. My other publications include those in various peer-reviewed anthologies such as Personligt talat (an interdisciplinary publication in which all contributions deal with life-writing), a few book reviews, and my doctoral dissertation (published at the University of Gothenburg press).

More information and links are available on my Academia.edu page or here: http://historiskastudier.gu.se/english/Staff/sara-ellis-nilsson.

Any final thoughts?

The fact that popular culture continues to be interested in the medieval period (and that includes the Vikings!) creates hope that medievalists will always be needed. A constant concern, however, is whether or not my work is “useful”, especially in an era in which science, or even modern history, is a more easy sell. I remain hopeful that the study of the distant past will always be deemed important in the end!

Featured Member: Lucie Laumonier

Andrew Klein — Sun, 08 Nov 2015 19:10:16 GMT

We're continuing our new series, Medievalist of the Month, with Lucie Laumonier. Lucie tells us...

I have an M.A. in history from Université de Sherbrooke (Québec) and a PhD in history from Université de Sherbrooke and Université Montpellier 3 (France). I did my PhD in a cotutelle program (joined PhD), which is a huge advantage: two advisors, membership in two universities, being immersed in two very different, yet complementary academic environments. At the moment I’m a postdoctoral fellow, thanks to a Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture grant. For one year I was at University in Minnesota in the US but I’m about to transfer to Concordia University in Montréal (end of October 2015) for the second year of the postdoc.

You're arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

It’s not a question I’m frequently asked. When it happens, I usually say that I “do history”, that I go to archives centers. It’s vague but it works.

What projects are you currently working on?

I’m working on my postdoc project, based on notarial sources (wills, marriage contracts…) and judiciary documents from the Parlement de Toulouse, which focuses on families from Languedoc (south of France) from the 1250s to the end of the 15th century. I’m interested in the concepts of “crisis”, “norm” and “normality”.

At the same time, I'm working on papers oriented towards social history (urban or religious); for instance, I’m preparing a paper on devotional confraternities in Montpellier.

Finally, I am a part of two research projects. One project, lead by Geneviève Dumas (Université de Sherbrooke) focuses on urban books of accounts ; this other, coordinated by Gabriel Pizzorno and Daniel Lord Smail (Harvard) aims to create a data base of inventories of goods.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

What I like best is being able to consider the relationshop between the past and the present, and being able to question the idea of “progress” in social practices. The Middle Ages are an interesting lens for looking at our own era, and teach us a lot about ourselves.

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

I’m a member of the CSM so I can keep up to date on research throughout the country and to meet other people who work on fascinating subjects! I really like the multidisciplinarity of the Society. I’m also a member of the Société des études médiévales du Québec, of the SHMESP which is a French association, and I have been up to now a member of the Center for Medieval Studies at the University of Minnesota.

Where can we find/read some of your work?

My publications list is available on Academia.edu; some articles are online on journal websites (Médiévales, Memini). My book is also available on the publisher’s website, Brepols.

Any final thoughts?

The “Medievalist of the Month” series is an excellent idea for increasing awareness of the research happening in Canada!

Featured Member: Lori Jones (University of Ottawa)

Andrew Klein — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 19:16:03 GMT

Welcome to our new series, Medievalist of the Month! Every month a new medievalist will tell us a bit about their research and their involvement in the society. Up first is Lori Jones, who tells us...

I have an MA in International Affairs from Carleton University, and a second MA in History (Medieval and Renaissance Studies Specialization) from the University of Ottawa. One might wonder how I moved from one field to the other, but it really isn't that far of a jump: it's all about studying how people in different cultures and in different time periods experience life. I'm now a PhD Candidate in History at the University of Ottawa.

You're arriving at an airport for a research trip and the border control agent asks what you do. How do you answer?

I actually just experienced that exact question at a couple of border crossings this spring and summer. It is sometimes a tricky one to answer, because you have to gauge what kind of reception your answer is likely to get and tailor it accordingly. I usually say that I'm researching the plague (which is true), and after getting a horrified glance from the border agent, I soften my answer by saying that I'm doing library research and teaching classes on the history of disease. Sometimes the agent shows some interest, but usually I get passed through pretty quickly after that. Guess no one wants to think about disease.

What projects are you currently working on?

My PhD research looks at how people's perceptions of where the plague came from (geographically and historically) changed over time. It includes a detailed look at the changing textual contents of two plague treatises that had a very long life in manuscript and print in England and France. I'm also involved in a side project that identifies and tracks cropped medieval manuscript images that circulate on the internet (and in publications, documentaries, etc.) with captions that incorrectly identify them as images of the plague. It's quite amazing how quickly some of these mislabelled images go viral and spread misinformation; at the same time, I'm quite pleased to see how many people are willing to 'fix' the error once they've been notified about it. I am also the moderator of the University of Ottawa-Carleton University medieval/early modern email group.

What do you think is the best part of being a medievalist?

I think the best part is simply that it is fun. Medievalists tend to be rather quirky sometimes, which makes them really interesting people to meet. That plus studying a time period that feels both familiar and oddly unfamiliar at the same time.

Why did you join the CSM? What other societies do you belong to?

I joined the CSM so that I could be part of a supportive local community. The medievalist community in Canada isn't huge, so being a member of CSM makes you feel like you are part of a family. I also belong to the Medieval Academy of America, la Société des études médiévales du Québec, la Groupe de recherche sur les pouvoirs et les sociétés de l'Occident médiéval et moderne, the Early Book Society, and several history of medicine societies.

Where can we find/read some of your work?

I have an Academia.edu page, where I've posted an article, a blog post, some book reviews, and a number of conference abstracts. I have several articles being considered for publication at the moment, so hopefully there will be more on the Academia site soon!

Any final thoughts?

Being a medievalist in an era of sustained political pressure to produce 'saleable' commodities is tough, but it becomes all the more rewarding when we can show that we are working on topics that have 'present' relevance. Being human means that studying the past is relevant!

Thanks, Lori!

Interested in being a Medievalist of the Month?

Any thoughts on what we should be asking our Canadian medievalists/medievalists in Canada?

Get in touch at canmedievalistspr@gmail.com, or on Facebook or Twitter!