Sustaining the Discipline: The Future of Medieval Studies
Texas Medieval Association Annual Conference
April 11–12, 2026
Rice University
Houston, Texas
Inherently interdisciplinary, Medieval Studies is older than many disciplines and departments in universities today. In light of that long history, what disciplinary norms and training do medievalists have in common? What is the state of Medieval Studies as a discipline? What can we do to sustain Medieval Studies at the highest level for future generations? This year’s annual conference of the Texas Medieval Association seeks to foster conversations about the future of our field, while creating a forum for the presentation of new research by medievalists and scholars of related fields at all stages and of all backgrounds.
Hosted by the Program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies at Rice University, in Houston, Texas, this year’s Texas Medieval Association annual conference will feature a plenary lecture by Nicholas Watson (Harvard University).
We seek proposals for papers presenting new research in all disciplines and fields of Medieval Studies, including work on contemporary periods (c. 500–1500) outside of Europe, and work on early modernity with relevance to Medieval Studies. Proposals should include your name and affiliation, paper title, and a brief (c. 200 word) abstract of the paper.
A limited travel bursary is available to support conference attendance by graduate students and others non-tenure or tenure-track faculty participants.
Submissions should be sent to the program committee (Andrew Kraebel, chair) at: TexasMedieval2026@gmail.com, and review of submissions will begin December 15, 2025.
