The Medieval Academy Blog

MAA to Host Community
Discussion on Cuts to Federal Funding
Tuesday May 6th, 1 pm EDT

Many of us have been shocked and appalled by the recent termination of research funding and humanities programming through the IMLS, NEH, NSF, NIH and other federal bodies. So far the Medieval Academy is aware of ten members directly affected by these cancellations, involving over $2 million in funding. There will inevitably be many more who are indirectly affected—those receiving funding through state humanities councils, for example, or those who planned to apply for NEH funding this year.

The Medieval Academy Council is naturally concerned, and has been discussing the effects of these actions on our members and field. Any MAA member whose funding, research plans, or position has been affected is encouraged to use this form to send us more information.

The Medieval Academy has also co-signed several statements by its partner organizations (the AHA/American Historical Association, the NHA/National Humanities Alliance, and the ACLS/American Council of Learned Societies), and the Executive Director has endorsed the recent AAC&U Call for Constructive Engagement.

On Tuesday, May 6th, the MAA is sponsoring a Premodernist Community Hour for scholars affected by these terminations. This informal Zoom meeting will give scholars an opportunity to talk through their concerns, exchange information about what’s happening, reinforce a sense of scholarly community, and brainstorm about how individuals or collectives might take action. The moderators will also take note of members’ concerns for reporting to the MAA Council and to partner organizations that are better resourced and positioned to advocate on behalf of the humanities in Washington. By coming together to discuss and offer mutual support, we combat a sense of isolation and powerlessness, and apply our combined skills and abilities to the common goal of defending our scholarly communities, reaffirming their cultural value, and preventing their wanton destruction.

Join us on Tuesday May 6th at 1 pm EDT for this virtual town-hall meeting.

Moderators
Alison Locke Perchuk (Chair, Advocacy Committee, Medieval Academy of America)

Carrie Beneš (Councillor, Medieval Academy of America; Co-PI, formerly-NEH-funded Sfera Project)

Click here to register.

P.S. PIs with organizational grants directly affected by the NEH terminations of April 1 are reminded that they may request NEH review up to 30 calendar days after the date of the termination notice, i.e. May 1 (https://tinyurl.com/34tuvsry, General T&Cs XIII.B). We wish to note that cutoff date since it precedes our scheduled meeting.

Transmitting and Preserving Languages in the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean

Date: 5^th June 2025

Venue: Balliol College, Gillis Lecture Theatre and Massey Room (Oxford OX1 3BJ) & online

Convenors: Daniel Gallaher and Ugo Mondini (University of Oxford)

The workshop explores how and why languages were taught, learned, and sustained across the diverse and shifting socio-cultural landscapes of the late medieval and early modern Mediterranean. Integrating history with historical sociolinguistics and adopting a comparative and cross-disciplinary perspective, the workshop aims to identify shared trends, comparable elements, and distinctive features in language learning and transmission. This approach offers a renewed perspective on the interconnected Mediterranean world—a region where multilingualism, mobility, and intercultural exchange were and are central to daily life. The impact of these dynamics on language teaching, preservation, and use has often been underestimated.

The event will include dedicated time for discussion and reflection, allowing participants to engage in a broader conversation about language, identity, and cultural transmission. At its core, the project reimagines the medieval and early modern Mediterranean, not merely as a space of teaching, learning, and multilingual exchange.

Speakers: Speakers: Samet Budak (ANAMED Koç University); S. Peter Cowe (UCLA); Erica Field-Marchello (Exeter College, Oxford); Mark Janse (University of Cambridge); Michiel Leezenberg (University of Amsterdam); Giorgia Nicosia (Ghent University); Lucy Parker (University of Nottingham).

For more information about the programme and to register for online attendance, please contact Ugo Mondini at ugo.mondini@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk.

To encourage the integration of Byzantine studies within the scholarly community and medieval studies in particular, the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture seeks proposals for a Mary Jaharis Center sponsored session at the 61st International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, May 14–16, 2026. We invite session proposals on any topic relevant to Byzantine studies.

Session proposals must be submitted through the Mary Jaharis Center website. The deadline for submission is May 12, 2025.

If the proposed session is approved, the Mary Jaharis Center will reimburse a maximum of 4 session participants (presenters and moderator) up to $800 maximum for scholars traveling from North America and up to $1400 maximum for those traveling from outside North America. Funding is through reimbursement only; advance funding cannot be provided. Eligible expenses include conference registration, transportation, and food and lodging. Receipts are required for reimbursement.

For further details and submission instructions, please visit https://maryjahariscenter.org/sponsored-sessions/61st-icms

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any questions.

To encourage the integration of Byzantine studies within the scholarly community and medieval studies in particular, the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture seeks proposals for a Mary Jaharis Center sponsored session at the 8th Forum Medieval Art/Forum Kunst des Mittelalters, Bochum / Dortmund, September 23–26, 2026. The biannual colloquium is organized by the Deutsche Verein für Kunstwissenschaft e.V.

The theme for the 8th Forum Medieval Art is Work: Traces, Constellations, Valuations. From a region with a significant medieval character and a post-industrial present we want to address the question whether the term “work” could be of any benefit when applied to the practices of medieval art production and their social and economic context. At the latest with the development of urban culture in the 12th/13th century, the concept of a society based on the division of work began to replace traditional forms of social differentiation – a process that was theologically founded in the 12th century and accompanied by a revaluation of art, craft and creativity.

The Mary Jaharis Center invites session proposals that fit within the Work theme and are relevant to Byzantine studies.

Session proposals must be submitted through the Mary Jaharis Center website. The deadline for submission is May 8, 2025.

If the proposed session is approved, the Mary Jaharis Center will reimburse a maximum of 4 session participants (presenters and session chair) up to $500 maximum for participants traveling from locations in Germany, up to $800 maximum for participants traveling from the EU, and up to $1400 maximum for participants traveling from outside Europe. Funding is through reimbursement only; advance funding cannot be provided. Eligible expenses include conference registration, transportation, and food and lodging. Receipts are required for reimbursement.

For further details and submission instructions, please visit https://maryjahariscenter.org/sponsored-sessions/8th-forum-medieval-art

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any questions.