Category: CFPs

Call for Papers: Impropriety and Notoriety in Courtly Society, Kalamazoo 2020

Impropriety and Notoriety in Courtly Society
Session for the 55th International Congress on Medieval Studies
(7-10 May 2020 at Western Michigan University)
Sponsored by the International Courtly Literature Society, North American Branch

Paper Length: Roundtable, 7-10 minutes

Deadline for Submissions: 15 September 2019

Justification and Description:

Outrage! Scandal! Works of courtly literature are filled with instances of characters whose improper conduct brings infamy or fame. Nor are literary characters alone in being scandalised or titillated: such emotions have been felt by readers as well, leading to works being censored, indexed, banned, destroyed—and secretly preserved and shared withal.

Impropriety and notoriety have been and remain compelling forces both in establishing and in challenging cultural attitudes. In courtly literature, whether the text enforces a cultural view, or whether it offers an alternative that can coexist with or which seeks to undermine established social norms reflects upon the beliefs that shape the courtly world, suggesting questions about the values of literary characters and readers, then and now.

Proposals should address the topic of impropriety and resulting notoriety in courtly literature. For the purpose of this panel, ‘impropriety’ is broadly interpreted to mean conduct contrary to established social, cultural, political, or religious mores.

Proposals should be of approximately 100-250 words in length, and accompanied by a completed Participant Information Form. Those who are not currently members of the International Courtly Literature Society are welcome to submit to sessions sponsored by the ICLS but are expected to become members upon acceptance. Proposals that are not accepted for the session will be forwarded to the Congress Committee, which will consider them for inclusion in one of the General Sessions.

Organiser/Presider Information:
Shawn Phillip Cooper, Ph.D.
Vice-President, International Courtly Literature Society, North American Branch
Assistant Professor, Rochester University
Rochester Hills, Michigan
spcooper@rc.edu

Call for Papers: Arthurian (Im)Piety, Kalamazoo 2020

Arthurian (Im)Piety
Session for the 55th International Congress on Medieval Studies
(7-10 May 2020 at Western Michigan University)
Sponsored by the International Arthurian Society, North American Branch

Paper Length: 10-15 minutes

Deadline for Submissions: 15 September 2019

Justification and Description:

Arthurian mythos is replete with examples of pious instruction, correction, and devotion, alongside instances of impious disobedience ranging from occasions of trivial disdain to excommunicable offences. The Arthurian world, with its hermits and bishops, its swearing on books and its disingenuous deceptions, its adulteries and devotions, and all of their manifold consequences (or lack thereof) can be read as a contrast between piety and impiety. Such a narrative reading reflects upon the fundamental beliefs that shape the Arthurian world as much as the moral worth of individual characters, giving rise to questions about the intersection of the courtly, the chivalric, and the doctrinal.

Proposals should address the topic of piety and/or impiety in Arthurian literature, film, or other media. For the purpose of this panel, ‘piety’ is broadly interpreted to mean devotion to established religious beliefs or authorities (Christian or otherwise); and, likewise, ‘impiety’ is interpreted to mean a rejection or disobedience of the same.

Proposals should be of approximately 100-250 words in length, and accompanied by a completed Participant Information Form. Those who are not currently members of the International Arthurian Society are welcome to submit to sessions sponsored by the IAS but are expected to become members upon acceptance. Proposals that are not accepted for the session will be forwarded to the Congress Committee, which will consider them for inclusion in one of the General Sessions.

Organiser/Presider Information:
Shawn Phillip Cooper, Ph.D.
International Arthurian Society,
North American Branch
Assistant Professor, Rochester University
Rochester Hills, Michigan
spcooper@rc.edu

Call for Papers: “The Resonance of Jean de Meun’s Rose in Medieval Europe,” IMC Leeds 2020

Download flyer (PDF)

From organizers Anne Reynders ( KU Leuven) & Janet van der Meulen (VU Amsterdam):

The Old French Roman de la Rose was one the most influential and controversial medieval works in the vernacular. It was widely diffused , not only in French, but also in Italian , Middle Dutch and English translations and adaptations.

In a series of sessions at the International Medieval Congress we aim to examine the Rose’s multi-faceted resonance , in the extant European translations adaptations and other literary texts as well as in material artifacts, decorated manuscripts, ‘erotic ’ badges and others).

We invite in particular proposals addressing the reception of Jean de Meun’s provocative play with pagan and christian authors and the concept
of contraires choses.

Although most papers in Leeds are in English, we accept papers in English and French. At the IMC in Leeds, papers are 20 minutes long and followed by 10 minutes discussion.

Please send abstracts of 100 words , along with a short biography (incl. affliation), to anne.reynders@kuleuven.be by 20 September 2019.

Please also feel free to send any queries to the same email address. We look forward to hearing from you !

Call for Papers: New College Conference on Medieval and Renaissance Studies

From the New College Conference organizers:

The twenty-second biennial New College Conference on Medieval and Renaissance Studies will take place 12-14 March 2020 in Sarasota, Florida. The program committee invites 250-word abstracts of proposed twenty-minute papers on topics in European and Mediterranean history, literature, art, music and religion from the fourth to the seventeenth centuries. Interdisciplinary work is particularly appropriate to the conference’s broad historical and disciplinary scope. Planned sessions are also welcome. The deadline for all abstracts is 15 September 2019; for submission guidelines or to submit an abstract, please go to http://www.newcollegeconference.org/cfp.

Junior scholars whose abstracts are accepted are encouraged to submit their papers for consideration for the Snyder Prize (named in honor of conference founder Lee Snyder), which carries an honorarium of $400. Further details are available at the conference website.

The Conference is held on the campus of New College of Florida, the honors college of the Florida state system. The college, located on Sarasota Bay, is adjacent to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, which will offer tours arranged for conference participants. Sarasota is noted for
its beautiful public beaches, theater, food, art and music. Average temperatures in March are a pleasant high of 77F (25C) and a low of 57F (14C).

More information will be posted on the conference website as it becomes available, including plenary speakers, conference events, and area attractions. Please send any inquiries to info@newcollegeconference.org.

http://www.newcollegeconference.org
PLEASE SHARE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WITH INTERESTED COLLEAGUES.

Call for Papers: “Experiencing the Court”

Medieval and Early Modern Spaces and Places: Experiencing the Court, 2019

The early modern court adopted and developed exemplary cultural practices where objects and spaces became central to propagating power as well as places for exchange with other powers. This combination of images, objects, and sounds confronted the senses, making a powerful and distinctive impression of the resident family and the region they represented: flickering candlelight on glass and gold vessels adorned credenze (sideboards); musical instruments announced royal entries or provided entertainment; brightly coloured tapestries covered the palace walls along with paintings of biblical or mythological stories; cabinets displayed antiquities or rarities; perfume burners permeated the air; while the smells and tastes of rare delicacies at the centre of dining tables made for a multi-sensory spectacle.

This year the Open University’s Spaces & Places conference will address the theme of ‘Experiencing the Court’ by exploring the senses and the lived experiences of courtly life, whether based in a particular residence or defined by the travels of an itinerant ruler. This annual conference is fundamentally interdisciplinary: literary, musical, architectural, artistic and religious spaces will be the subjects of enquiry, not as discrete or separate entities, but ones which overlapped, came into contact with one another, and at times were in conflict.

The conference will examine life at court and will consider the following questions:

  • How can approaching the court in terms of the senses provide new methodologies for understanding each institution?
  • How were medieval and early modern courtly spaces adapted and transformed through the movement of material and immaterial things?
  • Which particular aspects of political, social and economic infrastructures enabled the exchange of objects and ideas?

Papers that address new methodologies, the digital humanities, object-centred enquiries, cross-cultural comparisons, or new theoretical perspectives are particularly welcome.

Please send a 150 word abstract along with a short biography to Leah Clark (leah.clark@open.ac.uk) and Helen Coffey (Helen.coffey@open.ac.uk) by 15 November 2018.

The conference will take place at the Open University’s partner institution Trinity Laban Conservatoire on 3 and 4 April 2019.  As Trinity Laban’s King Charles Court was once the site of Greenwich Palace, it is a fitting venue for a conference exploring court life.

For updated information visit our website: http://www.open.ac.uk/arts/research/medieval-and-early-modern-research/spaces-places

Call for Papers – ICLS @ ICMS (Kalamazoo)

CFP for panels sponsored by the North American Branch (NAB)

The International Courtly Literature Society North American Branch (ICLS-NAB) seeks abstracts for the following three panels to take place during the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 9-12, 2019:

  • Othering in Courtly Literature
    • Panel style: round table; presentation length: 5-7 minutes (max 10)
    • Othering is a relevant and fascinating topic in many academic fields. The objective of this proposed roundtable is to explore this phenomenon in courtly literature. Othering is not solely manifested in the US (courtly society) and THEM (non-courtly society), but rather it can occur in varying degrees and forms in courtly literature, spanning the Middle Ages to the present. The discussion concerning Othering should offer new insights into the power relations as well as the phenomena of inclusiveness and belonging.
  • Weather at Court
    • Panel style: standard; presentation length: 15 minutes (max 20)
    • Recent research in medieval studies has begun to focus on environment, climate and climate’s daily manifestation: the weather. Weather is one of the primary interfaces between humans and the natural environment around them. The storm that Chretien’s Yvain unleashes is one of the most famous weather occurrences in medieval literature: storm clouds gather from all directions, daylight fades, lightning and thunder fill the air as hail and rain fall.  This session invites papers on diverse weather or climate phenomena in courtly literature. What weather do we encounter in courtly texts? What is, if any, the role or the perception of weather?  Weather, like landscape, can become or reflect a state of mind. How then can weather phenomena and affect correlate in the courtly environment, both the material and the immaterial?  Sun, cloud, thunder, rain, wind— as a weather occurrence or as metaphor or as visual image— are among the topics this session seeks to explore in medieval courtly literature.
  • Belief Systems and the Court
    • Panel style: standard; paper length: 15 minutes (max 20)
    • Courtly society is, by nature, a society intersected by systems of belief ranging from the abstruse to the transpicuous, whether theological, philosophical, social, or political. Consequently, in order more fully to understand courtly society and the culture it produced, it is vital to understand how these intersecting and often vexed (if not explicitly contradictory) beliefs impacted the court and those within it. Abstracts should address the topic of belief systems within or impacting courtly society or culture. For the purpose of this panel, ‘belief systems’ is broadly interpreted to mean organised beliefs which are disseminated and adopted by groups of people, whether those beliefs are theological, philosophical, social, or political in nature.

Submissions should be accompanied by a Participant Information Form (available on the ICMS website). Those who are not currently members of ICLS-NAB are welcome to submit to sessions sponsored by ICLS-NAB but are expected to join or renew ($30 regular, $10 student/independent/retiree) upon acceptance. Proposals that are not accepted for the session will be forwarded to be considered for inclusion in one of the general sessions.

The  ICLS-NAB will provide a stipend equivalent to the early bird registration fee for underfunded presenters. Please send a brief explanation of your financial situation with your abstract, e.g. graduate student, adjunct faculty, or independent scholar status. These stipends will be awarded at our business meeting on Thursday, May 9, at the congress, but you will be informed prior to the congress if you are selected to receive a stipend.

Contact: Susann Samples
Phone: 410-807-0895
Email: samples@msmary.edu
Deadline: September 15, 2018

Call for Papers – ICLS Exeter 2019

XVIth Congress
of the
International Courtly Literature Society
XVIe Congrès
de la
Société Internationale de Littérature Courtoise
 
22-27 July/juillet 2019, University of Exeter/Université d’Exeter, UK
 
Courtly Communities/Communautés courtoises
 
The network as a subject of study has blossomed in Medieval Studies in recent years. The notion of ‘textual community’ coined by Brian Stock has focused critical scrutiny on the ways in which literature calls communities into being. Renewed attention has been paid to the links between different authors and texts, but also to the social dimension of reception – who owned and read literary texts, what motivated owners and audiences’ interest in them, and how literature contributed to binding different communities together. Meanwhile, conceptual tools such as Bruno Latour’s actor-network model are proving to offer productive and increasingly popular ways of thinking about the connectedness of medieval texts, their creators, and audiences.
The International Courtly Literature Society proposes to recognise the vibrancy and timeliness of this topic by making it the central theme for its next International Triennial Congress, which will be held at the University of Exeter (UK) from 22-27th July 2019. We invite proposals of up to 200 words for 20-minute papers in English or French, to be submitted by 1 June 2018. We are also interested to welcome full panel proposals of up to 4 papers.
 
Potential paper/panel topics include (but are not limited to):
–          Courts as communities
–          Textual communities
–          Literary and artistic collaboration
–          The network as a concept
–          Linguistic communities
–          Material communities at court
Alongside the main business of scholarly exchange and debate, the conference will include visits to local medieval landmarks and other places of interest. All these activities will take place in a spirit of collaboration, community, and friendship, which will allow participants to build and renew their own professional and personal networks.
Please send your proposals (in English or French) for papers or full panels to the following address, by 1 June 2018: e.j.cayley@exeter.ac.uk
…..
 
Le réseau est devenu un sujet de prédilection pour les médiévistes au cours des dernières années. La notion de ‘communauté textuelle’ définie par Brian Stock a eu l’effet de focaliser l’attention des chercheurs sur les divers moyens à travers lesquels la littérature donne naissance aux communautés. La critique s’est évertuée à relever les rapports entre différents auteurs ou textes, mais aussi à détailler la dimension sociale de la transmission : la nature de l’intérêt porté aux textes littéraires par leurs publics, l’identité et les motivations de ceux qui commanditaient ou collectionnaient ces textes, et la capacité de la littérature à créer et à nourrir les communautés. En même temps, divers modèles conceptuels tel que la théorie acteur-réseau développée par Bruno Latour se sont révélés utiles pour analyser les liens entres les textes médiévaux, leurs créateurs, et leurs publics.
La Société internationale de littérature courtoise se propose de reconnaître l’importance et l’actualité de ce sujet en l’inscrivant comme thème principal de son prochain Congrès international, du 22 au 27 juillet 2019 à l’université d’Exeter (Royaume-Uni). Nous vous invitons à nous faire part de vos propositions en envoyant un résumé de 200 mots maximum (en anglais ou en français) pour des communications de 20 minutes, avant le 1er juin 2018. Nous lirons aussi avec intérêt les propositions d’ateliers complets (maximum 4 intervenants).
 
Les communications peuvent porter sur les thèmes suivants (entre autres) :
–          Communautés de/à la cour
–          La communauté textuelle
–          Collaboration littéraire et artistique
–          Le réseau comme concept
–          Communautés linguistiques
–          Communautés matérielles
Les échanges intellectuels qui constitueront le fond même de la conférence seront agrémentés de plusieurs visites organisées, comprenant d’importants sites médiévaux de la région. Toutes ces activités se dérouleront dans un esprit de collaboration, de communauté, et de convivialité, qui permettra aux conférenciers de développer et de nourrir leurs propres réseaux personnels et professionnels.
Les résumés de 200 mots maximum (en anglais ou en français) pour des communications de 20 minutes devront être envoyés, avant le 1er juin, à l’adresse suivante: e.j.cayley@exeter.ac.uk