Shining a Light on the “Dark” Ages: Creative Approaches to Understanding the Middle Ages
2027 AHA Annual Meeting, New Orleans
Proposals due February 1, 2026
The Medieval Academy of America (MAA) invites proposals for sessions at the annual meeting of the American Historical Association in New Orleans, LA, January 7-10, 2027.
Increasingly, scholars from a range of historical fields may find themselves the sole member of their department who specializes in the Middle Ages. Learning how to approach the Middle Ages creatively, and with an eye towards increasing understanding of the period among specialists and non-specialists alike is vital to the health of the field. This year, the Medieval Academy aims to co-sponsor sessions that provide support for panels based on increasing our understanding of the Middle Ages for non-specialists, lone medievalists, and others. We hope to spark discussions about how to make learning about the Middle Ages not only more manageable, but also more engaging, for both instructors and students. The AHA Annual Meeting has historically not involved a large number of scholars of the Middle Ages, but the AHA Program Committee is especially interested in supporting panels covering medieval topics, so we hope to see a robust level of interest in proposing panels.
This CFP is meant to be broad and inclusive in order to spark interest among MAA members and a wider audience. We are interested in attracting proposals that explore various facets of this theme and may address, but are not limited to, the following kinds of topics:
● Quality open access resources: Where to find them and how to use them
● Useful software (e.g. StoryMaps) for researching and teaching the medieval era
● Non-traditional pedagogical approaches, such as Reacting to the Past modules
● Using material culture and experimental archaeology in the classroom
● Using VR and AR technology to immerse students in the medieval past
● Engaging students in public history projects
● How to introduce American students to medieval archives and texts
● How to creatively teach about the Middle Ages within the constraints of traditional Western Civilization curricula
● How to broaden the appeal of medieval topics beyond specialists
● How to draw connections between the medieval and modern
We invite proposals that think beyond traditional paper panels. We are especially interested in proposals for short (approx. 7-10 minute) presentations to be incorporated into a roundtable format. Members may submit individual proposals or proposals for a full roundtable with 3-5 discussants. Proposals for lightning talks, paired teaching and research panels, guided discussions, workshops, digital labs, working sessions, and other innovative and inclusive formats of knowledge-sharing are also welcomed. Please see here for more examples- https://www.historians.org/events/annual-meeting/call-for-proposals/creative-session-formats/
We particularly encourage session proposals from scholars across diverse identity positions and academic ranks and affiliations, including graduate students, K-12 instructors, and independent scholars. Proposals that focus on sources, geographies, and populations under-represented in traditional medieval studies are also highly encouraged.
The committee is available for feedback on draft session proposals. Please contact us at ahacommittee@themedievalacademy.org. Additionally, MAA members can receive feedback on proposals during the review process.
How to Submit a Session Proposal
Session proposal submissions for MAA and AHA co-sponsorship involve a two-stage process:
1) Members of the Medieval Academy submit session proposals to the MAA’s AHA Program Committee via the online submission form by 11:59 p.m., February 1, 2026.
2) Upon approval by the MAA’s AHA Committee, session organizers will be notified by February 11 and will then be responsible for submitting the proposal to the AHA before the deadline of 11:59 p.m., February 15, 2026, indicating that the session has the sponsorship of the Medieval Academy of America.
For more details, please refer to FAQ: Organizing MAA/AHA Sessions.
