The Medieval Academy Blog

It is intended that this conference will explore the relationship between the pursuit of scientific and religious knowledge in the middle-ages, with a particular focus on the British scholar, theologian, scientist, astronomer and philosopher, Robert Grosseteste (c. 1175-1253). It will discuss Grosseteste’s theological and scientific understanding, particularly of the new Greek and Arab learning, and how

this influenced his theological/philosophical investigations. Whilst it is anticipated that the main focus will be on Grosseteste, it will also be an important part of the conference’s rationale to discuss contemporaries as well as later writers who drew on his learning in order to advance the study of science and religion. In addition to this rationale it will be an over-riding aim of the conference to discuss in general the relationship between science and religion and to discuss whether our present era has anything to learn from the middle-ages in this respect. Key note speakers will include Prof. Tom McLeish and Dr Giles Gasper from Durham University’s Order Universe Project and Dr Amanda Power from Sheffield University. It is expected that the proceedings of this conference will be published.

Proposals for 40 minutes papers or enquiries should be directed by 10th February to Dr Jack Cunningham, j.p.cunningham@bishopg.ac.uk, Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln, LN1 3DY, UK. Proposal should be 300-400 words in length and should include you telephone number or e-mail address, as well as your academic affiliation (if any).

The art and archaeology of the Latin East have regularly been marginalised in broader accounts of medieval material culture, largely because they cannot fit within the restrictive parameters established for either the Byzantine East or the Latin West. Over the years, the art and archaeology of Lusignan and Venetian Cyprus (1192-1571) have attracted both western medievalists and Byzantinists, each group bringing its own methodological prejudices to the study of the subject. In the last twenty years, a number of international conferences, collaborative research initiatives and other events, culminating in last year’s exhibition Chypre entre Byzance et l’Occident IV^e-XVI^e siècle (2012-3) at the Louvre, have paved the way for a more fruitful interchange between scholars coming at the art and archaeology of Lusignan and Venetian Cyprus from a Byzantine or western medieval background.

Increasing specialisation within any given field being a virtual necessity in the modern academic world, students of medieval material culture West and East are called upon to broach the issue with an open mind to neighbouring fields, and to cooperate among themselves to bring about a synthetic, integrated vision of the complex history of Cypriot material culture in the later Middle Ages and of the society that produced it. Nevertheless, there is still much ground to cover. The brisk pace of current research activities has overtaken that of publication; a number of important excavations are still ongoing or under preparation for publication; and a host of new doctoral theses are in development. Now, more than ever, there is urgent need for the sustained exchange of new ideas and information regarding fresh discoveries, as well as for the rethinking of received knowledge and the renewal of approaches that this may entail.

This conference is the third in a series focusing on recent archaeological and art historical research on Cyprus from the Hellenistic period onwards. It aims at providing a forum for the discussion of the art and archaeology of Cyprus during the Lusignan and Venetian periods. Art historians and archaeologists engaged in research on this particular topic, both of the ‘eastern’ and ‘western’ persuasions, are encouraged to contribute by presenting the results of their recent work. We invite papers on subjects ranging from archaeological excavation, post-excavation finds analysis and field survey to monumental art (architecture, sculpture, painting), metalwork, ceramics, numismatics and other aspects of the island’s material life in the late medieval period.

We are planning a three-day event, with individual contributions up to 20 minutes in length. The conference will take place in Nicosia in 12-14 December 2014. Due to budgetary constraints, the speakers’ travel costs cannot be covered by the conference, but every effort will be made to secure conference rates at hotels near the conference venue. There is no registration fee for participation or attendance.

Prospective speakers are invited to submit a title and a 500-word abstract for consideration electronically, by 30 April 2014. Please send all materials and address all queries to Michalis Olympios (olympios.michalis@ucy.ac.cy) and Maria Parani (mparani@ucy.ac.cy).

The Organisers
Michalis Olympios
Maria Parani

Language as Culture in the Eastern Mediterranean (330-2013)

The students of the Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies at the University of Birmingham are proud to announce the 15th Annual Postgraduate Colloquium, which will take place on Saturday, 24th May 2014.

Keynote speaker: Dr Maria Georgopoulou

(Director of the Gennadius Library, The American School of Classical Studies at Athens)

The colloquium will bring postgraduate students together to discuss the significance of language in the eastern Mediterranean from Late Antiquity to the Modern Age. Beginning with the observation that all studies are routinely possessed by language, it is important to understand the relationship between language and culture. A major goal is to examine the role of culture in linguistic meaning, language use and, conversely, the role of linguistic form and culture in social action and in cultural practices. Language is a key to understanding the social, symbolic and expressive lives of members of society.

How, we will ask, can we learn more about language, and, what can we say about language in the Mediterranean basin?

Studies of ritual and performance, of patronage and status often draw on linguistic evidence to talk about various forms of cultural production: attesting to the crucial and hitherto unacknowledged role of language in the creation of cultural subjectivities. Language as a term should not be limited to literary forms, as verbal products, but may be extended to encompass a broader range of visual narratives, including, potentially, painting, architecture and other kinds of material culture. We are interested in the production, interpretation and reproduction of social meanings, as expressed and accrued through language and in exploring the relation to culture and society.

We invite proposals for 20-minute papers in all fields of Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies. Topics may include but are not limited to:

*   Language ideology
*   Ideological context of architecture
*   Visual culture
*   Literacy and education
*   Literary analysis
*   Multicultural communities
*   Objects and words as symbols of identity
*   Representation, power and social status
*   Theories and practices of image-making
*   Ideas about communication or trade
*   Perceptions and sounds of speech
*   Cultural history of texts

Please send an abstract of no more than 250 words to George Makris at GTM036@bham.ac.uk by Monday, 24th March 2014.

Registration is free.

41st Saint Louis Conference on Manuscript Studies, 17–18 October 2014

Vatican Film Library—Saint Louis University Libraries Special Collections

Saint Louis University
St. Louis, MO

The Saint Louis Conference on Manuscript Studies is organized annually by the Vatican Film Library and its journal, Manuscripta, and is the longest running conference in North America devoted exclusively to medieval and Renaissance manuscript studies. The two-day program each year offers sessions on a variety of themes relating to medieval book production, distribution, reception, and transmission in such areas as paleography, codicology, illumination, textual transmission, library history, cataloguing, and more.

2014 Guest Speaker: Richard H. Rouse (University of California, Los Angeles)

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Vatican Film Library invites submissions of papers in the following sessions at the 41st Saint Louis Conference on Manuscript Studies, to be held at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, MO, 17–18 October 2014.

• Captions and their Functions in Medieval Manuscripts
  Captions may be found in a variety of manuscript genres and fulfill a range of functions. Papers could address their roles in explicating or defining texts and images and their transmitted messages—or could suggest and discuss their alternate dimensions.

• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Depicting (and Stereotyping) Gender and Race
  Papers in this session will focus on visual, rather than textual representations, drawing on images that illustrate chronicles, maps, narratives, and other expository works.

• Games People Played
  Medieval leisure hours were frequently spent in recreational activities: board and dice games, sporting events, and hunting and trapping excursions. Rather than simply describing these games and their activities, this session could be devoted to exploring the material and conceptual technology supporting these pursuits: traps, weapons, jousting equipment, dice and chess/checker pieces; strategies, procedures, and techniques—as expressed in medieval and Renaissance manuscripts.

Please send a title and an abstract of not more than 200 words to Susan L’Engle (lengles@slu.edu) by 15 February 2014. Each session consists of three 20-minute papers. If you are interested in organizing one of these sessions yourself, please contact us as soon as possible. Those whose proposals are accepted are reminded that travel and accommodation expenses for the conference are the responsibility of speakers and/or their institutions.

For more information, contact Erica Lauriello, Library Associate for Special Collections Administration, at 314-977-3090 or elauriel@slu.edu .  Conference information is posted at http://libraries.slu.edu/special_collections/stl_conf_manu.