The TORCH Oxford Medieval Studies Programme invites applications for small grants to support conferences, workshops, and other forms of collaborative research activity organised by researchers at postgraduate (whether MSt or DPhil) or early-career level from across the Humanities Division at the University of Oxford.
The activity should take place between the beginning of Hilary term 2023 and end of Trinity term 2023. The closing date for applications is Friday of Week 1 of Hilary Term = 20 January); decisions will be made promptly after the closing date.
Grants are normally in the region of £100–250. Recipients will be required to supply a report after the event for the TORCH Medieval Studies blog. Recipients of awards will also be invited to present on their events at the next Medieval Roadshow.
Applicants will be responsible for all administrative aspects of the activity, including formulating the theme and intellectual rationale, devising the format, and, depending on the type of event, inviting speakers and/or issuing a Call for Papers, organising the schedule, and managing the budget, promotion and advertising. Some administrative and organisational support may be available through TORCH subject to availability.
IDENTITIES, COMMUNITIES AND ‘IMAGINED COMMUNITIES’ 14-15 April 2023 POSTGRADUATE CONFERENCE 2023
After the success of the 2022 ‘Transitions’ Conference, we invite you to the next instalment of the longest-standing medievalist PGR conference series. This year’s theme of Identities, Communities, and ‘Imagined Communities’ marks the 40-year anniversary of the publication of Benedict Anderson’s book on national identity. Observing all the uses medievalists have made of his theories in subsequent years, the conference celebrates the interdisciplinary currents that have benefitted academia in recent decades – Anderson, after all, did not initially believe his theories were suitable for the medieval world.
We welcome respondents and delegates to reflect on how we use concepts of identity and community more broadly across medieval history. Society’s interest in its identities is arguably more topical today than it was in 1983 when Imagined Communities was first published. How did medieval communities see and perform their identities, how did this change over time, and why? What role did identities play – be they political, linguistic, or religious – in the consolidation of some communities and the subjugation of others?
Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
• National Identities • Religious Identities • Sexuality and Gender Identities • Ethnoreligious Communities • Marcher Identities • Urban Communities • County Communities • Frontiers, Conquest, and Expansion • Law and Custom • Migration and Xenophobia • Ethnic Origins and Contemporary Myths • Art and Architecture • Seals and Heraldry • Patronage and Memory • Sovereignty • Local Autonomy • Archaeology • Nationalism • Concepts in History-writing
We welcome abstracts from postgraduates and early-career researchers, exploring all the aspects and approaches to concepts of identity and communities, in all relevant disciplines pertaining to the medieval period, broadly construed c.500-c.1500. Abstracts are 300 words for 20-minute papers. This year’s conference will be a hybrid event online and on the campus of the University of Bristol.
Abstracts and enquiries: cms-conferenceenquiries@bristol.ac.uk DEADLINE: 10 February 2023
Old Norse Poetry in Performance: Inheritance and Innovation Following its covid-induced hiatus, the third iteration of the triennial Old Norse Poetry in Performance conference will take place at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, on the 21st and 22nd of June 2023. Building on the successes of the conferences in 2016 and 2019 – which resulted in the recent publication of Old Norse Poetry in Performance (2022), a collection of essays edited by the previous organisers Brian McMahon and Annemari Ferreira – the intention of this conference remains, as before, to platform and develop the network of scholars and practitioners mutually interested in the poetic performance traditions of medieval Scandinavia.
With the theme ‘Inheritance and Innovation’, the 2023 programme aims to reflect even more completely the diversity in the performance traditions of the Old Norse source material, the scholarly traditions within the field, and the new, interdisciplinary perspectives being developed today. To this end, this conference will maintain the format of its previous iterations, showcasing academic research, practical performances, and the possibilities offered by combining the two.
The organisers invite proposals for 20-minute papers and/or performances, which might cover, but need not be limited to, the following:
• Comparative approaches to eddic, skaldic, and rímur performances
• Legacies of performance traditions
• The ‘beyond-the-page’ approach to source texts
• The effects of translation on performance
• Legacies of scholarly traditions
• Interdisciplinary adaptations of Old Norse poems
Proposals should be no more than 300 words and should be sent to oldnorsepoetryinperformance@gmail.com, accompanied by a brief biographical note, by midnight on 17th February 2023.
For more information, please visit the conference website , or contact the organisers, Inés García López, Clare Mulley, Richard Munro, and Ben Chennells, at the email address given above.
Friday 3 February 2023 (Week 3), 5–6.30pm, at St Edmund Hall, Old Dining Hall
Join this workshop for tips and guidance on how to adapt medieval mystery plays for modern performance, a workshop for directors and actors alike. Whether you have already signed up to this year’s Medieval Mystery Cycle on 22 April 2023 or are interested but still unsure how to put together a play or how to act, all are welcome! The focus of the workshop will be on how to cut a medieval play script down to an accessible version (of up to 20 minutes), but there will also be an opportunity to match actors and directors and to discuss any other practical questions you might have on site at St Edmund Hall – and to enjoy tea and cake!
The workshop will be led by David Wiles, Emeritus Professor of Drama at the University of Exeter and a veteran director of the Oxford Medieval Mystery Cycle. Let us know if you’re interested in joining by emailing Michael Angerer, the graduate convenor.
Meanwhile, we’re still looking for groups to join the Medieval Mystery Cycle: have a look at the original blog post with the sign-up link!
Over its thirty-two years of publishing, METS has published and provided free online access to hundreds of digital editions of medieval texts, many of which would otherwise be rare, prohibitively expensive, or nonexistent as traditional print editions. These open-access editions have made it possible for instructors, students, and researchers alike to teach, learn, and advance scholarship on medieval British literature wherever they are in the world. An open-access digital collection, however, is only as accessible and useful as its website and user interface allow it to be – and over the past few years, it has become clear that both the METS website and its approach to digital editions need an update. Feedback from users like you will be pivotal in reimagining both with the needs of our diverse user base in mind.
This user survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. At the end, you will have the option to indicate if you would be open to (1) sharing further thoughts on the digital redesign in a follow-up conversation and/or (2) helping with usability testing for the redesigned website in the future.
Finally, please note that this survey will stop collecting responses on January 9, 2023, at 11:59 pm Eastern Time (UTC-5:00), so we ask that you please complete the survey before this deadline.
On behalf of METS, thank you for considering this request. We look forward to hearing from you.
After the success of the 2022 ‘Transitions’ Conference, we invite you to the next instalment of the longest-standing medievalist PGR conference series. This year’s theme of Identities, Communities, and ‘Imagined Communities’ marks the 40-year anniversary of the publication of Benedict Anderson’s book on national identity. Observing all the uses medievalists have made of his theories in subsequent years, the conference celebrates the interdisciplinary currents that have benefitted academia in recent decades – Anderson, after all, did not initially believe his theories were suitable for the medieval world. We welcome respondents and delegates to reflect on how we use concepts of identity and community more broadly across medieval history. Society’s interest in its identities is arguably more topical today than it was in 1983 when Imagined Communities was first published. How did medieval communities see and perform their identities, how did this change over time, and why? What role did identities play – be they political, linguistic, or religious – in the consolidation of some communities and the subjugation of others?
Suggested topics include, but are not limited to: • National Identities • Religious Identities • Sexuality and Gender Identities • Ethnoreligious Communities • Marcher Identities • Urban Communities • County Communities • Frontiers, Conquest, and Expansion • Law and Custom • Migration and Xenophobia • Ethnic Origins and Contemporary Myths • Art and Architecture • Seals and Heraldry • Patronage and Memory • Sovereignty • Local Autonomy • Archaeology • Nationalism • Concepts in History-writing
We welcome abstracts from postgraduates and early-career researchers, exploring all the aspects and approaches to concepts of identity and communities, in all relevant disciplines pertaining to the medieval period, broadly construed c.500-c.1500. Abstracts are 300 words for 20-minute papers. This year’s conference will be a hybrid event online and on the campus of the University of Bristol.
The Society for the Study of Medieval Languages and Literature is delighted to share details of the 2023 Medium Ævum Essay Prize and available grants:
2023 Medium Ævum Essay Prize
Race your Word-Wyvern to glory! Postgraduates and those recently graduated with a higher degree are invited to submit an essay on a topic that falls within the range of the interests of Medium Ævum in the medieval period (up to c. 1500).
The winner of the Essay Prize will receive a cash prize of £500, together with £250 for any books available from Bennett & Kerr Booksellers (including any from the Society’s own catalogue) & £250 of funding towards conference attendance. The winning article will also be considered for publication in Medium Ævum, subject to the usual editorial procedures of the journal. Entries must be submitted by Thursday, 2 December 2022 and further details on entry criteria and how to submit are available on our website: https://aevum.space/EssayPrize
Conference Funding and Research Travel Bursaries
Planning an event or research trip? Apply for the Society’s available conference funding and travel bursaries! We are now open for physical and online conference funding applications, and are particularly interested in providing sponsorship which facilitates wide conference access and participation for unwaged graduate and early-career medievalists. Conference grant applications are generally open to Society members and should be made at least three months ahead of the planned conference date, please find the Society’s guidelines for applicants on our website: https://aevum.space/conferences/funding
The Society’s Research Travel Bursaries are to support relevant research by scholars, at any stage in their career, who are not in receipt of the requisite funding from other sources. The value of all grants is between £300 and £1000. There are two application rounds each year, with the deadlines falling on 1st September and 1st March; applicants will be informed of the Society’s decision within three weeks of the deadline. We also welcome applications for financial support to obtain images of manuscripts from libraries or archives to which the applicant is unable to travel. Details on how to apply may be viewed on our website: https://aevum.space/bursaries
Two men giving out money from a chest, from Bodleian Library, MS Auct. D. 4. 17
Society Membership
Not yet a member of the Society for the Study of Medieval Languages and Literature? Consider subscribing for the low cost of £20 a year, or £10 a year for graduate students. Membership benefits include receipt of the Medium Ævum journal in print and digital formats, and a range of discounts on the Society’s monograph series and events. Take a look and register online our website: https://aevum.space/user/register
The next performance of the Medieval Mystery Plays is held on Saturday 22 April 2023 at St Edmund Hall, 12noon-3:30pm.All welcome! The full programme is available here.
12.00: Extracts from Piers Plowman (Swonken ful harde) Middle English 12.30: The Nativity and Salutation (English Faculty) Middle English 13.00: The Innocents (Les perles innocentes) 16th-century French —13.30 BREAK— 14.00: The Passion (Sorores Sanctae Hildae) Latin and German 14.30: The Harrowing of Hell (Medieval Germanists) Middle High German 15.00: The Last Judgement (Past and Present Teddy Students) Modern English
Welcome to the third incarnation of the Oxford Medieval Mystery Cycle! As in 2019 and 2022, this highlight of the Oxford medieval calendar offers a variety of plays in different medieval and modern languages, staged at several stations in the beautiful grounds of St Edmund Hall. Cycles of plays retelling stories from the Bible were a popular form of entertainment in the Middle Ages, which we are only too happy to revive for modern audiences. Admission is free and you are welcome to turn up at any time.
Read the original call for participation: Sign-up is now open for the Oxford Medieval Mystery Cycle! Just follow this link to propose a play and to join one of the highlights of the Oxford Medieval Studies calendar, which will be held on Saturday 22 April 2023 at St Edmund Hall.
Following a hugely popular medieval tradition, we are looking for groups to perform a series of short plays retelling stories from the Bible. We are keen to cover a wide variety of (medieval) languages, but you don’t have to be a theatre professional or even a medievalist – all you need is lots of enthusiasm for what is above all a fun and unique experience. In the last years, plays have included:
The Creation and Fall
The Killing of Abel
Noah
Abraham
The Annunciation and Visitation
Shepherds
Wise Men
Herod the Great
John the Baptist
Lazarus
The Crucifixion
The Harrowing of Hell
The Resurrection
The Last Judgement
Feel free to propose other plays, or even to write your own – as long as the topic is not already taken, so don’t wait too long! You can see which plays have already been proposed here.
We have previously had plays in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian, but offers for plays in other languages, including Welsh, Dutch, Latin, or Hebrew are also very welcome! Some mystery plays are easily accessible online: this includes plays in Middle English (the York, Towneley, and N-Town plays), Old French (the Seinte Resurreccion), Middle High German (the Innsbrucker Osterspiel), or Old Spanish (the Auto de los Reyes Magos). And don’t worry if you don’t have enough actors or haven’t found a group yet: we can help you put out a call for actors and link you up with other people interested in participating. All you have to do is get in touch.
For inspiration, have a look at the mystery cycles of the last few years! You can even watch recordings of the cycles in 2019 and 2022 on YouTube. (Or, alternatively, you can watch the much more professional recordings of the 1985 National Theatre Mysteries.) A small budget is available for props and costumes.
Watch the 2022 medieval English master’s students rising from the tomb as multiple Lazari!
We will hold a workshop on how to cut longer plays on Friday of Week 1 in Hilary Term at 3–5pm (20 January 2023) on site at St Edmund Hall. This is open both to fully fledged groups and aspiring directors. [Edit: This workshop has been postponed to Friday of Week 3 at 5–6.30pm (3 February 2023)]
We will hold a workshop on voice projection at the end of Hilary Term.
You will have the opportunity to rehearse on location at St Edmund Hall during Week 0 of Trinity Term.
Dress rehearsals will take place on the morning of Saturday of Week 0 of Trinity Term (22 April 2023).
The Mystery Cycle will be performed from 12–5pm on Saturday 22 April 2023, with two half-hour breaks for tea, coffee, and cake.
Cake sale: we are also looking for people to bake cake and help run a charity cake stall on the day – if you’re interested, please get in touch!
Thursday 3 November, 3-5pm, in New College, Lecture Room 4
We are looking for postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers who are working on a medieval song or lyric text that they would like to discuss in the workshop with Professor Butterfield.
All that is required is to provide an edition of the text of the song or lyric, ideally with a translation and edition of the music (if there is any). The workshop will be an informal opportunity to workshop songs/lyric texts together and benefit from Professor Butterfield’s expertise.
If you would like to contribute a song/lyric, please send your suggestion to joseph.mason@new.ox.ac.uk by Friday 14th October.
You are very welcome to attend the workshop without bringing along a text to discuss. If you wish to attend, please RSVP to joseph.mason@new.ox.ac.uk by Friday 28th October for catering purposes.
The German Historical Institutes in London and Washington, D.C., are excited to announce the thirteenth Medieval History Seminar, to be held in London from 5 to 7 October 2023. The seminar will bring together Ph.D. candidates and recent Ph.D. recipients (2022/2023) in medieval history from American, Canadian, British, Irish, and German universities for three days of scholarly discussion and collaboration. Participants will have the opportunity to present their work to their peers and distinguished scholars from both sides of the Atlantic.
Conveners for the 2023 seminar will be Fiona Griffiths (Stanford University), Michael Grünbart (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster), Jamie Kreiner (University of Georgia), Simon MacLean (University of St Andrews), Len Scales (Durham University), and Dorothea Weltecke (Humboldt-Universität Berlin).
The Medieval History Seminar invites proposals from all areas and periods of medieval history and is not limited to historians working on German history or German-speaking regions of Europe. All methodological approaches are welcome. Applications from neighbouring disciplines are welcome if the projects have a distinct historical focus. The seminar is bi-lingual and papers and discussions will be conducted both in German and English. Participants must have a good reading and listening comprehension of both languages. Successful applicants must be prepared to submit a paper of approximately 5,000 words by August 15, 2023. They are also expected to prepare and present a commentary on the papers of another session.
Travel and accommodation expenses of the participants will be covered. Applications may be submitted in German or English and should include:
§ a CV (including institutional affiliation, postal address, and e-mail)
§ a description of the proposed paper (4–5 pages, double-spaced)
§ one letter of recommendation
Please e-mail a single PDF-file with all application documents to: events@ghil.ac.uk The deadline for submissions is 31 January 2023.
For further information, please contact Stephan Bruhn: s.bruhn@ghil.ac.uk German Historical Institute 17 Bloomsbury Square Tel. +44–(0)20–7309 2050 London WC1A 2NJ (UK)
