GSC Webinar: Medievalists Beyond the Academy

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Chris

Join the MAA Graduate Student Committee on March 30th, 2022 at 7 pm EST for a panel on employment for medievalists outside of what we traditionally envision as the “academy” (university-based research and teaching). Each of our panelists received a PhD in a premodern subject, and each have successfully leveraged their training into a career that utilizes and expands upon their background as medievalists. From grant writing and archival management to secondary education and academic publishing, our participants represent a wide range of experience levels and professional opportunities. In this conversation moderated by leading independent scholar Laura Morreale, panelists will share their pathways from their PhD to their current position, followed by a live Q and A with questions submitted by our audience. We hope you can join us! Click here to register.

Moderated by Dr. Laura Morreale, Independent Scholar

Panelists include:

Dr. Jennifer Speed, Research Development Strategist at Princeton University
Dr. Anna Siebach-Larson, Director, Rossell Hope Robbins Library and Koller-Collins Center for English Studies at the University of Rochester
Dr. Ross Karlan, World Languages Educator at Geffen Academy
Dr. Rachel Ruisard, Project Editor at Oxford University Press

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Call for Papers – Mythical Pasts, Fantasy Futures: The Middle Ages in Modern Visual Culture

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Chris

Mythical Pasts, Fantasy Futures: The Middle Ages in Modern Visual Culture

A Digital Symposium co-organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Haggerty Museum of Art September 8th and 9th, 2022

Call for Papers

This virtual symposium will bring together an interdisciplinary group of academics and museum professionals working on the broad topic of how the Middle Ages appears in the contemporary imagination, and the legacies of medieval-inspired aesthetics in a wide variety of artistic traditions and media. The rise of modern fantasy visual culture is closely tied to the renewed interest in the medieval past that emerged in the late eighteenth century and which is ongoing today. Medievalisms pervade modern fantasy, illuminating not only the complex receptions of the Middle Ages when subjected to new modes of inquiry, but also the challenges and anxieties that coincided with what is broadly conceived as “modernity.” The visual and conceptual relationships between modern fantasy and medievalisms has become an urgent subject in a variety of cultural studies disciplines and constitute key points of departure in the two exhibitions that frame this symposium: The Fantasy of the Middle Ages (The Getty Center, June 21–September 11, 2022) and

  1. R. R. Tolkien: The Art of the Manuscript (Haggerty Museum of Art, August 19–December 12, 2022). While much of the scholarly work on this topic has been focused on literary uses of medieval tropes, this symposium presents an opportunity to reframe the conversation in terms of the visual and especially engage issues of popular culture.

The symposium organizers seek submissions in two different categories: Conference Papers and Lightning Talks. We welcome proposals from scholars, museum professionals, graduate students, and independent researchers.

Conference Papers will be approximately 20 minutes and organized in thematic panels. Possible topics include but are not limited to:

  • Fantasy imagery in the museum (e.g. curatorial and pedagogical approaches)
  • Medieval fantasy recreations in all media (comic books, trading cards, film, television, reenactment, etc.)
  • Historicizing fantasy representations
  • Fantasy within and on the historical margins of art institutions
  • Media and the supernatural
  • Intersections of fantasy imagery and colonialism

Lightning Talks will be approximately 5-7 minutes each and focus on a single object. These shorter talks will be an opportunity for speakers to engage closely and concisely with the visual language of their chosen image and what it reveals with respect to the broader conversations of the symposium. Images in any medium and from any geographical context will be considered, but should be limited to the period from approximately the eighteenth century to the present.

For Conference Papers, please submit an abstract (approximately 500 words) and a CV.

For Lightning Talks, please submit your proposed image, an abstract identifying the themes and questions it prompts (approximately 250 words), and a CV.

Submissions should be sent to mythicalpastsfantasyfutures@gmail.com by April 15th. Accepted speakers will be notified by May 15th.

All participants will receive a speaker’s fee, the details of which will be outlined in the notice of acceptance.

Participants may be invited to submit their contributions for inclusion in published proceedings.

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Jobs For Medievalists

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Chris

A 3-year fixed-term research and teaching appointment in English literature and manuscript studies (including palaeography, codicology and editing) in the period from 650 to 1550 is available for an outstanding academic at an early stage of their career. This post is positioned at an intermediate stage between immediate post-doctoral work and a tenured academic post. The purpose of the post is to cover the teaching of Professor Daniel Wakelin, who will be on research leave funded in large part by the Leverhulme Trust from 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2025.

For more information, see

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Invitation to Workshop: History in a Time of Polarization, Sunday, March 20, 12pm-3pm EST

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Chris

This virtual workshop brings together professionals from fields that deal with the violent far-right. Hate groups’ recruitment has consistently drawn from memories of the medieval past, and in recent years this effort has grown, particularly online. Scholars, social workers, and journalists all have unique viewpoints on this issue, but rarely have a single forum for discussion and problem solving. This workshop offers such a space.

Keynote Address (12:00-1:00 pm EST)
Sammy Rangel, co-founder of Life After Hate

Panel 1 (1:00-2:00 pm EST) Sharing Experiences

Panel 2 (2:00-3:00 pm EST) Sharing Solutions 

Panelists:

Sena Aydin (Cornell University, has taught through the Prison Education Program at Cornell University)

Rosa Schwartzburg (Journalist who has covered the far-right for The Guardian, The Nation, Jacobin, and Al Jazeera)

Shokoofeh Rajabzadeh (PhD, University of California, Berkeley)

Dr. Mary Rambaran-Olm (University of Toronto, Provost Postdoctoral Researcher, anti-racist activist)

Basil Arnould Price (University of York)

Eni Mustafaraj (Computer Science, Wellesley College)

Bret Devereaux (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Andrew Guess (Princeton University, Politics and Public Affairs)

Gaby Faundez (History, St. Catherine’s School)

Cord Whitaker (Wellesley College) 

Moderator: Robin Reich, History, Columbia University

Register Here: https://bit.ly/ToolkitMarch2022

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions! Adam Matthews, acm2223@columbia.edu, Columbia University

The Medievalist Toolkit is a public history group founded by Columbia graduate students in Fall 2017. The group aims to enable and facilitate conversation between academics and activists, journalists, and public service providers. Awarded the Community Building Award (Graduate Student Committee of the Medieval Academy of America (2022), the Lehman Center Public History Award (2020), and History in Action Program Awards (2018, 2020), we are currently creating a website to make knowledge about the Middle Ages easily accessible to our partners.

We look forward to seeing you Sunday! – Samuel Dobberstein, Carolyn Quijano, Claire Dillon, Adam Matthews, Robin Reich, Sarina Kuersteiner

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Dumbarton Oaks Upcoming Events

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Chris

“The Gold of Banjska” Public Lecture
Date: March 24, 2022, at 4:00pm EDT via Zoom

Midway through the quick succession of brief biographical notes about Serbian monarchs and potentates that comprise the so-called Genealogy of Karlovci, a fifteenth-century text, the reader comes across a passage of considerable art historical import. Writing about the great works of royal and clerical patronage, the anonymous author declares that “the pavement of the church at Prizren, the church of Dečani, the narthex of Peć, the gold of Banjska, and the paintings of Resava are to be found nowhere else.” This lecture takes the peculiar reference to “the gold of Banjska” as the point of entry into an exploration of a little-studied phenomenon—the extensive use of gilding in medieval Serbian wall painting. Drpić uses the results of recently conducted technical analyses to illuminate this phenomenon and clarify its significance for finding Serbia’s place on the artistic map of the later Middle Ages.

Free and open to the public. Register here.

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“Byzantine Missions: Meaning, Nature, and Extent” Symposium
Date: April 29-30, 2022, at 9:00am EDT via Zoom

Though closely connected with the study of conversion and Christianization in the premodern era, the history of Christian missions has received little attention in recent scholarship. The recipients of Christian faith—individuals, nations, or social groups—and the processes of integrating the new religion have continued to attract analysis, but the agents of religious transformation have been relatively understudied, especially beyond the boundaries of medieval western Europe.

The symposium aims to illuminate the inner motives that characterized Byzantine missions, the changing incentives that inspired them, and the nature of their missionary activity; and ultimately to better understand how the Byzantines perceived the universal claims of their empire and their church. At the same time, the organizers hope to throw light on the broader religious dynamics of the medieval world.

Free and open to the public. Register here.

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2022-2023 Visiting Research Fellowships at the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Chris

The Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies (SIMS) is pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2022-2023 Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies (SIMS) Visiting Research Fellowships is now open. Guided by the vision of its founders, Lawrence J. Schoenberg and Barbara Brizdle Schoenberg, SIMS aims to bring manuscript culture, modern technology, and people together to provide access to and understanding of our shared intellectual heritage. Part of the Penn Libraries, SIMS oversees an extensive collection of premodern manuscripts from around the world, with a special focus on the history of philosophy and science, and creates open-access digital content to support the study of its collections.

Fellowships are open to all scholars living outside of the greater Philadelphia area. Applicants must have completed a Ph.D. or an equivalent professional degree by the time the fellowship begins. Applicants can apply to spend 1 month (minimum of 4 work weeks) at SIMS between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021. Up to 3 fellowships will be awarded this year. For more information and to register, please visit https://schoenberginstitute.org/visiting-research-fellowships-2/.

Applications are due May 15, 2022.

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Jobs For Medievalists

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Chris

The University of Salamanca invites applications for two 3-years PhD Students positions to obtain a PhD degree in Medieval History, starting in August 2022. The positions are part of the project “PEOPLEANDWRITING: The Secret Life of Writing: People, Script and Ideas in the Iberian Peninsula” under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No. 850604), supervised by Dra. Ainoa Castro Correa.
Application period: 1 March 2022 to 30 June 2022.

Complete information at: https://sede.usal.es/tablon/anuncio/4984/

The PhD candidate will join the project “PeopleAndWriting – The Secret Life of Writing: People, Script and Ideas in the Iberian Peninsula” at the Department of Medieval, Modern, and Contemporary History at the University of Salamanca.

PeopleAndWriting investigates the connection between people of rural communities and the written word in the medieval Iberian Peninsula as a key instrument in forging long-lasting personal identities while shaping the interactions within and among social groups. We aim to look at the lives and work of ordinary laypeople and construct their social profile in relation to written communication for the first time, analysing how the introduction of writing and writing-based social practices changed society. To this end, PeopleAndWriting proposes the application of a novel and holistic approach beyond the state-of-the-art to study an overlooked corpus of written material: the extant tenth- to twelfth-century manuscript sources from the north-western Iberian Peninsula.

Full information about the project, including latest results and news can be found in the web page: https://peopleandwriting.wordpress.com
Candidates will be expected to conduct original primary research which will conclude with the production of a PhD thesis. The PI, with assistance from the rest of project members will provide training and will supervise and guide the students.

More information: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/751889

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International Conference on the Voynich Manuscript

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Chris

The aim of the conference is to provide researchers with the opportunity to present their research and work on the Voynich manuscript to an audience of fellow Voynich researchers and investigators.  Attendees will have an opportunity to learn about current work on the Voynich and, in addition, be able to network and interact with the research community as a whole.

The topics covered in this conference are varied and will include (but not limited to):

  • History of the Voynich Manuscript (historical approaches, ciphers).
  • Natural Language Processing techniques applied to the Voynich Manuscript.
  • Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques applied to the Voynich Manuscript.
  • Image Processing of the Voynich Manuscript folios.
  • Works around whether or not it is a hoax, a natural language, or enciphered.
  • Works that draw on methods from Digital Humanities.

Organisers

Chair: Dr Colin Layfield (Senior Lecturer University of Malta)
Co-Chair:  Prof. John Abela (Associate Professor, University of Malta)

Programme Committee:

Prof. John Abela (Associate Professor, University of Malta)
Prof. Claire Bowern (Professor, Yale University)
Prof. Lisa Fagin Davis (Executive Director, Medieval Academy of America)
Dr. Kristian Guillaumier (Lecturer, University of Malta)
Dr. Colin Layfield (Senior Lecturer, University of Malta)
Dr. Chris Porter (Senior Lecturer, University of Malta)
Prof. Lonneke Van Der Plas (Group Lead, Idiap Research Institute, Switzerland)
Mr. Mike Rosner (Senior Lecturer Emeritus, University of Malta)
Prof. Albert Gatt (Associate Professor, Univeristy of Malta)
Dr. Mark Tanti (Lecturer, University of Malta)
Dr. Rene Zandbergen

Important Dates

Conference Dates:  30th November – 1st December, 2022

Abstract/Summary Deadline: 30th June, 2022 (12:00 Central European Summer Time)

Acceptance of Abstract/Summary submission notification: 20th July, 2022

Full Paper Submission (5-9 pages) – 31st Aug, 2022 (12:00 Central European Summer Time)

Acceptance Notification: 1st October, 2022

Click here for more information: https://www.um.edu.mt/events/voynich2022

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Macricostas Fellowship at the Gennadius Library, April 15, 2022 Deadline

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Chris

CONSTANTINE AND GEORGE MACRICOSTAS FELLOWSHIP
AT THE GENNADIUS LIBRARY
Deadline: April 15, 2022

The Constantine and George Macricostas Fellowship at the Gennadius Library supports research on Orthodox Christian Studies with an emphasis on Orthodoxy’s history, religious traditions, and geographical, geopolitical, and cultural reach. Of particular interest is the significant role that the institution of the church played in the broader history of Hellenism. Opened in 1926 with the 26,000-volume collection of diplomat and bibliophile Joannes Gennadius, the Gennadius Library now houses 145,000 titles of rare books and bindings, research materials, manuscripts, archives, and works of art that illuminate Hellenism, Greece, and neighboring civilizations from antiquity to modern times. The collection includes rare and unique items on the intellectual, social, cultural, political and institutional history of the Orthodox Church through the centuries. Holdings of 90,000 research titles in open stacks complement the rare books and other collections to create a comprehensive resource for the history of Greece across ages.

Eligibility: Ph.D. students and those who have earned the Ph.D. within the last 5 years with research projects focusing on the historical, political, and sociological dimensions of Eastern Orthodox religion from Late Antiquity to the present. The fields of study may include, but are not limited to religious studies, anthropology, history, philosophy, politics, law, and sociology. Open to all nationalities.

Terms: A stipend of $11,500 and waiver of School fees, and housing in Athens, normally at Loring Hall. If housing is not available in Loring Hall, fellows will be provided with funds towards their housing costs. Meals, Monday through Friday, are provided at Loring Hall for all fellows. Fellows are expected to be engaged full-time in the supported research from early September 2022 to late May 2023, and are expected to participate in the academic life of the School. A final report is due at the end of the award period, and the ASCSA expects that copies of all publications that result from research conducted as a Fellow of the ASCSA be contributed to the Gennadius Library.

Application: Submit an online application form for “Associate Membership with Fellowship.” An application consists of a curriculum vitae, description of the proposed project (up to 750 words), and three letters of reference to be submitted online. Student applicants must submit transcripts. Scans of official transcripts are acceptable.

Questions? Contact: application@ascsa.org
The award will be announced by mid- May 2022.

Click here for more information.

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Rare Book School Summer First-Round Application Deadline on March 7th

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Chris

Expand your understanding of book history during a Rare Book School course this summer. Our five-day intensive courses on the history of manuscript, print, and digital materials will be offered at the University of Virginia and other partner institutions. Applications are currently open for online and in person course offerings.

For your best chance at being admitted, submit your applications by the first-round deadline on Monday, March 7, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Applications received after this date will be reviewed on a rolling basis, but please be aware that many courses may fill during first-round consideration.

Visit our website at www.rarebookschool.org for course details, instructions for applying, and evaluations by past students. Contact us at rbsprograms@virginia.edu with questions.

We hope to see you at Rare Book School soon!

With kindest regards,
The RBS Programs Team

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