CALL FOR PAPERS: Superstition and Magic in the Medieval and Early Modern Periods

Princeton Medieval Studies Graduate Student Conference, April 20, 2018

Keynote Speaker: Prof. Michael Bailey

In an age when authorities attempt to assault our modern modes of critical thinking, the term “superstition” and its premodern associations take on rearranged values. Current political discourse denounces fake news and climate change as humbug with a zeal not unlike that of medieval and early modern establishments censuring false prophets and fallacious astrologers. Given these similarities, the classic narrative of a medieval society emerging into a modern one, “the disenchantment of the world” (Max Weber), urgently needs reappraisal. This conference proposes the examination of a wide range of evidence in various genres over time in order to foster this dialogue. In returning to the original meaning of “superstition” as an excessive fearfulness or belief, or a misapprehended and abused knowledge of a supernatural subject, how can we refine our understanding of superstition and magic in the premodern world? How can we make the overlaps between science, superstition, and magic productive?

We invite interdisciplinary submissions on diverse topics related to medieval and early modern superstition and magic. Some themes of the conference include, but are not limited to:

• Control and influence exerted by the Church and universities
• The historical development of demonology 
• The Witch Crisis: gender and authority 
• Elite vs. folk magic; paganism and popular religion
• Heresy and superstition
• Depiction of magical elements in literature and visual culture
• The impact of various religious reform movements, including the Reformation and Counterreformation, on belief, magic, and ritual
• Music and metaphysics 
• Oaths, incantations, and spells: the power of words
• Natural philosophy: astrology, alchemy, medical practices, etc.
• Material history and archaeology 
• Co-mingling of Eastern and Western traditions; book magic; Kabbalah
• Esoteric belief systems and the rise of secret societies
• The law: ordeals, witch-hunts, and policing of superstitious practices

In order to support participation by speakers from outside the northeastern United States, we are offering limited subsidies to help offset the cost of travel to Princeton. Financial assistance may not be available for every participant, with funding priority going to those who have the farthest to travel. Speakers will have the option of staying with a resident graduate student to defray their expenses.
Interested graduate students should submit abstracts of no more than 500 words to Sonja Andersen and Jonathan Martin at superstition2018@gmail.com by February 15, 2018.

All applicants will be notified about their submissions by February 24, 2018. Presentations should be no longer than 20 minutes.

CALL FOR PAPERS: Borderlines XXI: Authority in the Medieval and Early Modern World

This conference will be held in University College Cork, 14-16 April 2017. Proposals for both papers and panels are welcomed from postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers in the fields of both Medieval and Early Modern studies.

Keynote Speaker: Prof Michael Brown, University of St Andrews

This conference will explore the concept of authority in both the Medieval and Early Modern
periods. As Sir Philip Sidney has said, “there is nothing sooner overthrows a weak head than
opinion by authority, like too strong a liquor for a frail glass” (Aphorisms of Sir Philip Sidney). Much like today’s society, authority and resistance to authority can be found in all aspects of
Medieval and Early Modern societies, such as the religious, political, social, and literary.

Borderlines XXI invites papers that address the social, historical, literary, religious and cultural significance of these roles. We welcome papers from researchers in the fields of Anthropology, Archaeology, Codicology, Drama, Digital Humanities, Folklore, History, History of Art, Geography, Languages, Literature, Music, Paleography, Philosophy and Theology. Topics may include (but are not limited to):

· Political and/or religious authority
· Literary authority
· Authority of the book
· Gendered authority
· Lack of authority
· Translation of authority
· Class/Societal authority
· Rejection of authority
· Liminal figures/places
· Authority as autonomy
· Structures of authority
· Development of authority through the ages
· Depictions of authority in art

Abstracts of 250 words for a 20-minute paper and a short biography are welcomed from postgraduates and early career researchers (MA, PhD and Postdoctoral students) from Ireland, the UK, and further afield, as are proposals for panels, and should be submitted by Friday 3rd February 2017 to borderlinesXXI@gmail.com.

CALL FOR PAPERS: International Congress on Medieval Studies 2016, Special Session: Medieval Settlement and Landscape in Modern Ireland & Britain

Deadline: 1 September 2015

The 51st International Congress on Medieval Studies takes place May 12-15, 2016.
Proposals are invited for 15 to 20-minute papers from any field or theoretical approach relating to medieval settlement and landscapes. Potential papers can relate to any of the issues made in the CFP below, or may consider a related topic. Please send abstracts of around 300 words and a brief bio to session organizer Vicky McAlister, Southeast Missouri State University, vmcalister@semo.edu by Sept. 1, 2015.

Probably the most striking aspect of the proposed paper session is its inherently interdisciplinary composition. Medieval settlement and landscape studies have combined theories and techniques from a variety of disciplines, most overtly those of history, archaeology and geography. A significant question tackled by this session therefore is: How do these intellectual approaches inform one another? Ireland and Britain is a neat geographical concentration, with their intertwined histories, but also in terms of historiography. Papers that can make links, however, between Ireland and Britain and the outside world are encouraged. Implicit in the session title is the issue of context. Settlement and landscape studies often take a ‘bottom up’ approach to look at the impact wide sections of medieval society had on their physical context. They provide necessary background upon which to contextualise events and changes from the middle ages. This session will also discuss new technologies for studying the middle ages. In particular, the contributions of GIS and LIDAR to our understanding of the historic landscape could be discussed. At the same time, technical jargon should be avoided so as to make the session as relevant to as many scholars as possible. Finally, as stated in the session title, the papers will consider the place of medieval landscapes in the modern world. Heritage preservation is an issue for all practitioners in the field. On the flip side, it provides a means of interaction with the public. Presenters will be urged to consider this positioning of the medieval within the modern.

Further details will be published at http://wmich.edu/medieval/congress/

The congress is an annual gathering of around 3,000 scholars interested in medieval studies. It features more than 550 sessions of papers, panel discussions, roundtables, workshops, and performances. There are also some 90 business meetings and receptions sponsored by learned societies, associations, and institutions. The exhibits hall boasts nearly 70 exhibitors, including publishers, used book dealers, and purveyors of medieval sundries. The congress lasts three and a half days, extending from Thursday morning until Sunday at noon.