Category: Call for Papers

Saints and martyrs between Italy and the Mediterranean in Late Antiquity: Movements, connections, and influences

In a world such as the Late Antique one, which was experiencing profound changes compared to the previous period, areas once held together by imperial political cohesion, found themselves related by a new connection produced by the expansion of Christianity: the movement and exchange of the cult of saints.

The exchange and spread of the cults of saints and martyrs is testified by archaeological, iconographic, literary and other sources. Among the literary sources, this is illustrated, for example, by the presence of non-local cults in the liturgical calendars of certain geographical areas. A further example is provided by the accounts of late antique pilgrims and authors compiling hagiographies of martyrs, whose cult arrived through the transport of relics. Further evidence of mutual connections and influences is also attested by the construction of basilicas dedicated to ‘imported’ saints, with the consequent worship of these non-local patrons.

Within this context, Italy seems having an important role, not only in the ‘exportation’ of its own saints, but also in the reception and assimilation of foreign saints. In addition to the traditional worship, these are also assimilated into local cults. Therefore, this entails, for example, the change of the urban space itself, with the foundation of dedicated basilicas or the assimilation of foreign saints into local hagiographic literature.

Consequently, Italy may be considered as an important area of origin and spread of the cult of saints in the Mediterranean. Moreover, it may be considered as an attracting place for a large foreign cult, making it an excellent example of the movement of the cults of saints and martyrs within the whole late antique geographical area.

The aim of the workshop is to investigate and deepen the dynamics and the questions involved in the circulation of the cults of saints and martyrs from Italy to other areas of the Mediterranean and vice versa. Additionally, the objective is to analyse which exchanges and mutual influences these movements entailed and in which sources they can be found. In conclusion, the interest is directed towards the reasons why certain non-local cults became important in specific geographical areas and, in addition to the martyrs, if the cults of sanctified bishops or rather

confessors around whom a cult developed and spread to areas far from their origins were also spread and assimilated.

We will accept proposals for papers, from a multidisciplinary perspective: scholars of archaeology, art history, iconography, architecture, epigraphy, hagiography, late antique, early Christian literature and ancient history. Additionally, all related disciplines are welcome to submit a paper.

The following topics are suggested, but any other topic is accepted:

– The spread of the cult of saints and martyrs between Italy and other areas of the

Mediterranean through epigraphic, hagiographic, iconographic sources

– The transport of relics: archaeological and historiographical evidence

– The construction of basilicas or monasteries dedicated to ‘imported’ saints

– The role of bishops in the spread of the cults of saints and martyrs

– The spread of cults dedicated not only to martyrs, but rather to bishops or confessors

You are invited to submit an abstract (maximum 300 words) accompanied by a short CV by 24 Mai. All submissions should include your name, e-mail address and academic affiliation (if applicable). Participants are expected to give a 20–30-minute talk, followed by an extended session for discussion. The workshop will take place in person in English at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich on 22-23 November 2024. A publication is planned, for which the contributions may be in English, German or Italian. A contribution will also be made towards travel expenses.

The workshop is organised by the Institut für Byzantinistik, Byzantinische Kunstgeschichte und Neogräzistik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, with the kind support of the Spätantike Archäologie und Byzantinische Kunstgeschichte e.V.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact:

Daniela Coppola, M.A.

Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität, Munich

Call for Papers for Three Early Career Workshops on Old English Prose

Paper proposals are invited from graduate students and early career researchers working on or interested in Old English prose. Each workshop will be led by an expert who will talk about their own research and lead discussion on a particular aspect of Old English prose. These events will provide an opportunity for graduate students and early career researchers to discuss their research projects with other scholars and to develop new skills.

Workshop 1, 13^th February 2025: ‘Mercian Prose’ with Dr Christine Rauer (University of St Andrew’s)

Workshop 2, 15^th May 2025: ‘Alfredian Prefaces and Epilogues’, with Dr Amy Faulkner (UCL)

Workshop 3, 16^th October 2025: ‘The Old English Boethius’, with Prof. Susan Irvine (UCL)

The workshops will take place at the University of Oxford.

This project is funded by Francis Leneghan’s AHRC Research, Development and Engagement Fellowship on Writing Pre-Conquest England: A New Literary History of Old English Prose.

Registration and attendance will be free, but numbers will be limited.

Please send abstracts of no more than 200 words to francis.leneghan@ell.ox.ac.uk by 1st July 2024. Enquiries about the workshops can also be directed to this email address.

For consideration by Medieval Institute Publications & De Gruyter

Proposals for engaging essays (approximately 9,000 words) are warmly welcomed that explore and challenge our understanding of medicine in the Nordic-Atlantic areas. The essays will challenge conventional perspectives and delve into the intriguing realms of illness, health, body, disability, and
medicine as depicted in manuscripts, literature, and society from the Northern Atlantic World during the medieval era.

Our interdisciplinary approach aims to shed light on marginal perspectives and subversive themes prevalent in medical texts from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and other Norse colonies, including Scotland, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Medieval England. The collection of essays will examine the societal significance of the female body, the gendered model of illness, conceptions of body, health, and disability, as well as attitudes towards remedies of dubious nature.

We welcome contributions from scholars at all career stages. Whether you’re delving into Old English Studies, Middle English Studies, Old Norse Studies, or exploring themes in Disability Studies and Gender Studies, we want to hear from you. The book will include commissioned and invited works. Current contributions include medical charms in Anglo-Norman sources, Disability and social function in the works of John Arderne, and Social acceptability of disability in Sigurðar saga þögla.

Selected essays will form a thought-provoking collection submitted for consideration by Medieval Institute Publication & De Gruyter under the series ‘The Northern Medieval World.’

Submit your 300-word abstract along with a brief introduction of yourself to the editor, Luthien Cangemi (luthien.cangemi.20@ucl.ac.uk), by May 20th, 2024. First full drafts of contributions are expected in January 2025. Join us in uncovering the hidden narratives of medicine in the North Atlantic World!

THE XIII CARDIFF CONFERENCE ON THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF TRANSLATION IN THE MIDDLE AGES: THE MEDIEVAL TRANSLATOR

Translation, Memory, and Politics in the Medieval World
To be hosted by the Universidade de Lisboa – Portugal
17-21 June 2024

The medieval world was marked by the simultaneous emergence of vernacular languages in writing and the efforts of various institutions to establish and strengthen their own power and identities. Kingdoms, monastic institutions, cathedrals, noble houses, and cities sought to gain political prominence through the use of vernacular languages as a means of constructing historical memories based on older texts written primarily in Latin, but also in Greek, Arabic, or other vernacular languages. This could involve chronicles, short histories, but also hagiographies, epics or legal texts, among others.

For instance, in Iberia, the court of Alfonso X of Castile provides a notable example of this effort, through works such as the Estoria de España and the General estoria, and in Portugal with the Crónica Geral de Espanha de 1344 by Pedro de Barcelos. This effort was concurrent with the investment in translating, paraphrasing, and abridging texts of biblical origin or biblical histories (e.g., Comestor’s Historia Scholastica), which had a significant impact on the creation of new texts and translations. This was part of the medieval goal to construct global, regional, or local historical memories in vernacular languages, or to link more specific histories (e.g., of monasteries) to broader historical contexts (such as those provided by universal chronicles or biblical histories).

In frontier territories, the translation of texts served the same purpose of building historical memory, often incorporating new elements and rewriting older texts (and therefore memories) in a new language. For example, in Iberia, one can see examples of translations from Latin to Arabic (e.g., Historiae by Orosius), from Arabic to Latin (e.g., Chronica pseudoisidoriana), or from Arabic to vernacular, either to Portuguese or to Castilian (Crónica del moro Rasis).

In light of this context, we propose to explore the following themes that articulate the relationship between memory and translation in the medieval period:

• Translation, memory, and the creation, reinforcement, or expression of new cultural and political
  identities.
• Translators and readers: production, circulation, and uses of translations of historical (or related) texts.
• The influence of translation on the development of vernacular languages: How translation of historical (or related) texts contributed to the standardization and evolution of vernacular languages.
• The role of translation in preserving and transmitting classical and late antique visions of the past to the medieval world.
• The role of translating historiographical or hagiographical texts in facilitating or blocking political and cultural exchange and cross-cultural communication.
• The ways in which translated texts about the past were adapted to suit local cultural, linguistic, and
  political contexts.
• The role of translation in the transmission of historical knowledge between different communities and cultures in the medieval world: appropriations and refusals.
• Translation and the formation of a literary canon concerning the past: How translations helped shape a literary canon about the past in different regions and how this/these canon(s) influenced literary
  production in the vernacular languages.
• Translation, memory, and the representation of “others”: The representation of “others” in translated
  texts and the impact of translating texts about the past on shaping attitudes towards “others.
  
  

We invite submissions that address these themes and related topics in the context of the medieval world. Papers may be given in English, French or Portuguese, and should be twenty minutes long. Please send a 500-word abstract, an essential bibliography and a brief curriculum vitae by 15 October 2023 to:
medtransl_lisbon2024@letras.ulisboa.pt Following previous practice, it is planned to publish a book of selected papers in the peer-reviewed Medieval Translator series (Brepols) following the conference.
Further information about the conference will be available in the next months.