The 4th International Conference of the Medieval, Byzantine and Renaissance Periods and their legacies in art, culture, history, literature, etc.
17-20 March 2016, at the Severis Foundation (CVAR), Nicosia, Cyprus
Convenors:
Professor James Fitzmaurice, Northern Arizona University (USA)
Professor Lisa Hopkins, Sheffield Hallam University (UK)
Dr Sarah James, University of Kent (UK)
Dr Michael Paraskos, SOAS University of London (UK)
Benedict Read FSA, University of Leeds (UK)
We invite initial expressions of interest from academics, independent scholars, members of the public and learned societies in the fourth European conference on medieval and renaissance cultural and historical studies, Othello's Island.
The conference has developed into an interesting and unique event in the medieval and renaissance studies calendar, combining fascinating academic debate with time spent discovering and exploring the remarkable Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Although the conference is not only concerned with Cyprus or the Levant, it is always worth remembering that Cyprus was one of the richest kingdoms in the medieval world, being ruled by French and Venetian monarchs and generals for almost 400 years.
The conference will take place at the Severis Foundation in the historic old town area of Nicosia from 17 to 20 March 2016.
Possible topics for the conference could include:
• Diverse aspects of medieval and/or renaissance historical and/or cultural studies
• Aspects of Byzantine historical and/or cultural studies
• Aspects of Ottoman or other Muslim states historical and/or cultural studies
• Art, literature and other aspects of culture from the medieval and renaissance periods
• Connections between late Antiquity and the medieval period
• Christian and muslim interactions and/or comparative studies
• The Mediterranean as a factor in medieval and renaissance history and/or culture
• Shakespeare and/or other writers of the medieval and/or renaissance periods
• Continuing legacies of the medieval and renaissance culture in the modern period
• The West, the Mediterranean and the Levant
• Other aspects of the medieval and/or renaissance periods.
However, at this stage the aim is not to be prescriptive, and so we are open to all suggestions for sessions that explore the medieval and renaissance worlds, or subsequent legacies of those worlds (for example the rise of neo-medievalism in nineteenth-century Europe).
Call for Papers
If you are interested in giving a talk at the conference please submit a proposal for a paper. Standard papers are 20 minutes long, followed by 10 minutes for questions.
We are very open minded on the topic of papers, so if you have an idea for a presentation that is not covered by the suggestions given above please feel free to submit a proposal, or contact us first to discuss the idea.
Proposals for papers should comprise a cover sheet showing:
1. Your title (eg. Mr, Ms, Dr, Prof. etc.) and full name
2. Your institutional affiliation (if any)
3. Your postal address, e'mail address and telephone number
4. The title of your proposed paper
With this you should send a proposal/abstract for your paper of no more than 300 words and a copy of your CV/resume to mparaskos@mac.com with the subject line OTHELLO 2016.
All papers must be delivered in English.
The deadline for submissions is 31 January 2016. However early submission is strongly advised. We aim to have a decision on the acceptance of papers within four weeks of submission.
Conference website www.othellosisland.org
