MAA News – Good News From Our Members

Lori Jones (Univ. of Ottawa) recently received this year’s Margaret Wade Labarge Book Prize, awarded by the Canadian Society of Medievalists for the best book published by a Canadian medievalist, for her book Patterns of Plague: Changing Ideas About Plague in England and France, 1348–1750 (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2022). The publication of this book was funded in part by a Medieval Academy of America Publication Subvention.

Congratulations! If you have good news to share, please send it to Executive Director Lisa Fagin Davis.

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Call for Papers – Listing the World before the Age of Print

We all have lists of things to do. We also have playlists, shopping lists and lists of pros and cons (not to mention lists of publications). Whether we make them on paper or with an app, lists are central to our lives. They help us make sense of the world around us, keep track of the order of things and sometimes create a whole new order altogether. Lists were just as central to the lives and experiences of medieval people. If anything, the practice of enumeration was even more common in the Middle Ages, when lists fulfilled functions which are now served by other tools sitting at the intersection of written and visual culture, such as maps and databases. Some of the most famous medieval sources were produced in the form of lists: annals and inventories, for example, but also land surveys and catalogues of saints.

Anthropologists have long emphasised the power of lists. As one of the most enduring devices for human thought and communication, lists are seen as key instruments for both cognitive and social transformation. Literary scholars have taken this suggestion to heart. They have demonstrated that the study of lists can tell us much about the evolution of genres and conventions, and about how writers questioned established categories and worldviews. More recently, a large project run by French scholars has also put lists on the agenda of medieval historians and shown that list-making is a promising angle to study many facets of our period: from the development of more sophisticated ways of organising society to the emergence of new modes of thinking about the relations between the individual and society itself.

This series of panels hopes to push this agenda further. We are especially interested in the agency of lists as both material objects and cultural artefacts – in their ability to create new relationships, not just transcribing existing ones, and formulate new knowledge rather than simply compile it. In essence, we propose to consider list-making not just as

a system for describing the world, but as a way to actively change it. Examples might include the use and manipulation of lists in supporting political claims and ambitions, challenging existing hierarchies and social orders, flattening diversity and marginalising groups, influencing people’s views and opinions, and both shaping and recording crises.

If you would like to get involved, please get in touch by emailing both organisers with a 200-word abstract and a short bio by 31 August 2023.

Luca Zenobi, University of Edinburgh (luca.zenobi@ed.ac.uk)
Benedict Wiedemann, University of Cambridge (bw423@cam.ac.uk)

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Call for Transcribers! The Saint Dunstan Transcription Challenge, July 21-August 4

The Saint Dunstan Transcription Challenge is a two week digital event taking place July 21- August 4, 2023. The life of Saint Dunstan is part of The South English Legendaries (SEL), a thirteenth-century collection of saints’ legends and biblical histories written in Middle English. Found in 77 different witnesses, and with over 140 different legends, there are over 2000 unique circulating texts associated with the collection; By participating in the Saint Dunstan Transcription Challenge, you can directly impact our understanding of the South English Legendaries.

Participants will dedicate 4-5 hours in transcription with team-mates over the two-week event; editor-captains will invest slightly more time. Come join the community of digital transcribers, improve your manuscript skills, and learn more about the life of Saint Dunstan and the South English Legendaries! Visit the Saint Dunstan Challenge website for more information, and click here to register!

For questions or concerns, write to Dr. Tristan Taylor at selvariorum@gmail.com,

The Saint Dunstan Challenge is part of the Transcription Challenge Framework (TCF).

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Call for Papers – Seventeenth International Congress of Medieval Canon Law (ICMCL) Canterbury, UK, 7-13 July 2024

The 17th International Congress of Medieval Canon Law, co-sponsored by ICMAC (Iuris Canonici Medii Aevi Consociatio/International Society of Medieval Canon Law) will be based at the University of Kent campus in Canterbury, UK, between Sunday, 7 July, and Saturday, 13 July 2024. These congresses take place every four years on alternate sides of the Atlantic and constitute the leading academic conferences in the field of medieval canon law. Traditionally they have drawn scholars from many countries, including not only medievalists and lawyers, but also those who study related fields, such as Western jurisprudence and legal norms, Roman law, ecclesiastical and papal history, theology and biblical exegesis, manuscript studies, and the history of culture, society, and ideas.

ICMAC, the congress organisers Prof. Barbara Bombi FBA, Dr Edward Roberts, and Prof. Peter Clarke and congress programming committee invite proposals for individual 20-minute papers and for sessions (of 3 x 20-minute papers or 4 x 15-minute papers) on any aspect of medieval canon law, including, but not limited to, the following themes:

  • Texts and Jurisprudence
  • Influence of the ius commune on the Western Legal Tradition and International Law
  • Canon Law and Local Ecclesiastical History
  • Canon Law, Theology, and Pastoral Care
  • Medieval Law in Comparative Perspective

Proposals should be submitted as Word attachments via email to the congress address (icmcl2024@gmail.com) no later than 15 December 2023.

An individual paper proposal should comprise: paper title and language of presentation; a brief abstract (100-150 words); the speaker’s details (name; academic status; institutional affiliation; email address).

A session proposal should comprise the above for each paper proposed, together with: the details (as for speakers above) of the session organiser and session chair; the session title; a brief rationale (50-100 words) for the session, i.e., how the papers are related.

Proposals are welcomed from those at all stages of their academic career, including PhD students and post-doctoral researchers, as well as independent scholars. Papers may be delivered in these languages: English; French; German; Italian; or Spanish. Scholars not presenting in English are encouraged to use PowerPoint presentations and/or provide written English summaries of their papers.

Regular sessions will not feature papers on text-editing projects (but can include papers on manuscript studies). Updates on such projects will be showcased in a poster session during the Congress. Scholars who wish to present on such projects may submit two proposals if they desire, one for the poster session and another for a regular session.

The organisers would especially welcome proposals on the theme ‘Bridging the Divide’, focusing on Canterbury as a place of significance in the history of Western Christianity and medieval canon law before and after the Protestant Reformation and as the centre of the global Anglican communion. Contributions to this theme might cover such topics as:

  • Canterbury’s role in the compilation and diffusion of medieval canon law in the English Church
  • Canon law and local jurisdictions: application of canon law in the archbishops’ and other local church courts
  • Canon law and secular law: the impact of the Becket crisis on medieval canon law (especially after the Constitutions of Clarendon in 1164) and its long-term legacy
  • Global Anglicanism: the continuing influence of medieval canon law in the Anglican communion and other post-Reformation churches

Although the chronological focus of the Congress is typically c. 500 – c. 1500, we would also welcome contributions from early modernists to this theme, which is designed to bridge the all too separate study of pre- and post-Reformation Christianity and explore continuities and synergies in the history of canon law over the longue durée. Historians of early modern Catholicism are also invited to offer papers exploring continuities of pre-Tridentine canon law in Europe and the New World, including among English Catholics.

In addition, we would welcome contributions to the strand ‘Canon law and governance’, which will explore how the study of medieval canon law can help inform current public policy debates, notably on the role of international law, electoral systems, constitutional reform, and representative government. The strand will thus focus on these four topics:

  • Canon law and international law: the transnational influence of medieval canon law on the emergence of national legal systems
  • Constitutionalism and canon law: the interaction of medieval canon law and secular law in the development of governing institutions
  • Communities and canon law: the role of medieval canon law in the emergence and definition of groups and communities, such as women and clergy
  • Elections and consent: the influence of medieval canon law on the role of elections and consent in government

Papers on other aspects of medieval canon law and governance, such as human rights, are also welcome. The purpose of this strand is to show the continuing relevance of medieval canon law to political issues and appeal to a broader public audience.  Invited speakers in this special strand include:

  • Orazio Condorelli (University of Catania, Italy)
  • Christof Rolker (University of Bamberg, Germany)
  • Caroline Humfress (University of St Andrews, UK)
  • Nicholas Vincent FBA (University of East Anglia, UK)
  • Sara Butler (Ohio State University, USA)
  • Charles West (University of Sheffield, UK)
  • Dr Joseph Canning (Queens’ College, Cambridge, UK)
  • Dr Danica Summerlin (University of Sheffield, UK)
  • Kenneth Pennington (Catholic University of America, Washington DC)
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Call for Papers – NeMLA 2024

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice in the Classroom

As the pandemic has brought to the surface the profound division and polarization that affect our societies, including the plague of systemic racism, the silver lining is the greater attention given to the representation of minorities in the humanities, including the teaching of language and culture. As part of a vast interconnected ecosystem, we indeed thrive when we can live harmoniously and interact with others. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, especially not in recent years. When we face challenging times, we often question the fundamental values on which we base our existence. As educators, we have a unique opportunity to shape our students, promoting positive changes in our society, beginning with the classroom. Now more than ever, we must create an environment in which our diverse student body feels recognized, heard, respected, and included. This panel aims to explore how academia, and especially instructors of languages and cultures, can use the classroom as a platform to fight systemic racism while also fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. We welcome both theoretical and practical approaches; papers can be about a specific approach or strategies and practices that have successfully promoted these values in the classroom.

Submit abstracts and brief bios at https://cfplist.com/nemla/Home/S/20413 by September 30, 2023.

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Manuscripts in the Curriculum III at Les Enluminures

“Manuscripts in the Curriculum” is Les Enluminures’s innovative and highly successful program that enables colleges, universities, and other educational institutions in the United States and Canada to borrow a select group of original manuscripts for teaching and exhibitions for a segment of the academic year (semester, quarter, or summer session). The integration of real manuscripts into the curriculum in courses where students can work closely with original material under the guidance of a professor is a central tenet of the program.  The program also serves as a springboard, enabling participating institutions to discover and implement ways that manuscripts can continue to be used creatively in their curricula.

We are now accepting applications for participation in “Manuscripts in the Curriculum III” to begin in January 2024.  A group of nine manuscripts will be available for loan. We will choose seven manuscripts to serve as a diverse sample of manuscripts from across Europe in Latin and the vernacular from various dates; it is possible to customize the program with the addition of two “wild card” manuscripts especially suited to the needs of the participating institution.  Descriptions of a sample group of manuscripts will be available upon request.

There is a nominal cost ($5,500) for North American institutions to contribute towards the out-of-pocket expenses of the program (with an additional fee for participating Canadian institutions for international shipping and customs). The fee covers administration, insurance, shipping, and condition reports.  The program also includes a zoom-meeting with the supervising curator and faculty to discuss the loan, and one class session on the manuscripts presented via zoom by Sandra Hindman and Laura Light (at a time mutually agreed upon by Les Enluminures and the participating institution).

To read more about the program, including news from past participants, please see our website,  http://www.textmanuscripts.com/curatorial-services/manuscripts

The application (no more than 3 pages in length) should include: a letter of intent outlining the course(s) planned, and other internal and public events (lectures, receptions, colloquia), as well as any special requests for “wild card” manuscripts; a plan for integrating the use of manuscripts in the curriculum after the conclusion of the program; the names of faculty and library staff responsible for overseeing and funding the program; and the preferred semester with a second choice listed (from January 2024 through January 2027).  Applications are due October 15, 2023.  Decisions will be announced November 15, 2023.

Please send your application to:  lauralight@lesenluminures.com

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Free Index Access

The Index of Medieval Art at Princeton University is delighted to announce that as of July 1, 2023, its online database will become free to all users. This change has been made possible by a generous bridge grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation and the ongoing support of Princeton’s Department of Art & Archaeology. The database can be consulted at https://theindex.princeton.edu/ 

We look forward to sharing our resources with students and scholars at all levels and with public learners seeking reliable information about medieval art and culture. To facilitate expanded use, in the coming months we will offer several online training sessions to introduce the database to those who may be unfamiliar with it, the schedule and signups for which will be publicized on our blog (https://ima.princeton.edu/) and through the Index social media accounts. The first session will be held on August 3, 2023 from 10 to 11am Eastern time; further information and registration can be found here: https://ima.princeton.edu/index_online_workshop_august_2023/. Index staff also remain available for researcher questions via our online form at https://ima.princeton.edu/research-inquiries/ 

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MAA News – From the President

Dear Academy Members,

Welcome to summer. For those who teach in the Northern Hemisphere, congratulations for making it through another academic year. And for medievalists both inside and outside the academy, I hope that the longer days, warmer weekends, and vacation days provide us all with the opportunity to read outside our fields, spend a couple of hours contemplating medieval objects in a local museum, or to travel to medieval sites and archives.

Before everyone disappears into their summers, I want to draw your attention to two pieces of essential reading––the MAA’s report on academic positions in medieval studies and a call for papers.

The report comes out of a proposal made in 2020 by the Ad Hoc Committee on Professional Diversity to gather data on the medieval job market. The new report is based on job data collected and analyzed by Merle Eisenberg, of Oklahoma State University, with help from Laura Ingallinella, Skyler Anderson, Jonathan Henry, and Cate Kurtz. Thanks to their hard work, we now have seven years of data on tenure-track jobs (2015–16 to 2022–3) in History, English, Islamic Studies, Italian Studies, Art History, and Religious Studies/Theology. The data confirms what many of us suspected: academic employment for medievalists with Ph.D.s has narrowed considerably over the past decade, the job market for medievalists has not returned to its pre-Covid levels, and tenure-track positions across disciplines are disappearing. Merle’s report is essential reading for anyone who teaches graduate students or who is a graduate student. It underscores how important it is that Ph.D. programs train their students for a broad array of careers and that we all need to continue working to ensure that medievalists outside the academy can remain active in the field after they have written their dissertations. The future of the study of the Middle Ages depends on it!

The second piece of essential reading is the call for papers for the 99th Medieval Academy Annual Meeting, which will be held at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on March 14–16, 2024.

The themes of the upcoming conference are “Mapping the Middle Ages,” “Bodies in Motion,” and “Communities of Knowledge.” It is going to be a terrific meeting with excellent papers, exciting off-program activities, and a lot of time for conversation. Please consider submitting a proposal for an individual paper or a complete panel. The deadline is 15 June.

Robin Fleming, President of the Medieval Academy of America

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MAA News – MAA@Leeds

If you’re going to be at the Leeds International Medieval Congress this year, please join us on Tuesday, 4 July, 19.00-20.00 (Session 901) for the Annual Medieval Academy of America Lecture, “Somatic Entanglements,” to be delivered by Prof. Elina Gertsman (Department of Art History & Art, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio). Afterwards, join Prof. Gertsman and MAA governance and staff members for the Medieval Academy’s open-bar wine reception.

The Medieval Academy’s Graduate Student Committee roundtable will take place Monday, 3 July, 19:00-20:00 (Session 445): “The International Medievalist: Perspectives on Researching, Teaching, and Networking in the Age of Globalisation. Participants include Muntazir Ali (University of Delhi / Archaeological Survey of India), Elizabeth Liendo (Guilford College / Shanghai School International Division), and Özlem Eren (University of Wisconsin-Madison).

 

We hope to see you there!

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MAA News – 2024 Annual Meeting Call for Papers

99th Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy of America
University of Notre Dame
14-16 March 2024

The 99th Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy of America will take place on the campus of the University of Notre Dame (South Bend, Indiana). The meeting is hosted by The Medieval Institute, St. Mary’s College, Holy Cross College, and Indiana University, South Bend.

The Program Committee invites proposals for papers on all topics and in all disciplines and periods of medieval studies. Any member of the Medieval Academy may submit a paper proposal; others may submit proposals as well but must become members in order to present papers at the meeting. Special consideration can be given to individuals whose specialty would not normally involve membership in the Medieval Academy.

Conference themes include Mapping the Middle Ages; Bodies in Motion; and Communities of Knowledge. In addition, we welcome innovative proposals that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries or that use various disciplinary approaches to examine an individual topic. We encourage papers on Asia, Africa, the Middle East, or Eastern Europe and the networks and exchanges between East and West.

See this page for more information and the full Call for Papers:

https://www.medievalacademy.org/page/2024AnnualMeeting

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