Daily Archives: 16 May 2016

Dr Jonathan Adams – ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions (Sydney Node) Free Public Lecture

“Idolaters, Warriors and Lovers: Muslims in Medieval Swedish and Danish Texts,” Dr Jonathan Adams

Date: Thursday 19 May 2016
Time: 1:00-2:00pm
Venue: Rogers Room, Woolley Building, The University of Sydney
Enquiries: craig.lyons@sydney.edu.au

Between the Viking Age and the Middle Ages, there was a noticeable change in relations between Scandinavia and the Islamic world – the sources point to a shift from travel and trade to hostility and war. Muslims did not settle in the North until the eighteenth century, and during the Middle Ages there was little contact between Scandinavians and ‘real’ Muslims. So how did Danes and Swedes imagine and describe this Other? Is there anything unusual or unexpected about the portrayal of Muslims? How does this image compare to that of the other great religious opponent, the Jew? By investigating East Norse devotional texts, travel literature, saints’ lives, romances and accounts of Ottoman warfare, this paper aims to draw out some of the major themes in medieval Scandinavian descriptions of Muslims and Islam.


Jonathan Adams is docent and research fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities in the Department of Scandinavian Languages, Uppsala University, Sweden

Amsterdam U Press, New Book Series: Gendering the Late Medieval & Early Modern World – Call For Proposals

This series provides a forum for studies that investigate the themes of women and gender in the late medieval and early modern world. The editors invite proposals for book-length studies of an interdisciplinary nature, including but not exclusively, from the fields of history, literature, art and architectural history, and visual and material culture. Consideration will be given to both monographs and collections of essays. Chronologically, we welcome studies that look at the period between 1400 and 1700, with a focus on Britain, Europe and Global transnational histories.

We invite proposals including, but not limited to, the following broad themes: methodologies, theories and meanings of gender; gender, power and political culture; monarchs, courts and power; construction of femininity and masculinities; gift-giving, diplomacy and the politics of exchange; gender and the politics of early modern archives and architectural spaces (court, salons, household); consumption and material culture; objects and gendered power; women’s writing; gendered patronage and power; gendered activities, behaviours, rituals and fashions. For more information, or to submit a proposal, visit this page or contact Erika Gaffney, Senior Acquisitions Editor, at Erika.Gaffney@arc-humanities.org.

Shakespeare and Music Studies: From Theory into Practice Symposium – Call For Papers Extended to July 1

Shakespeare and Music Studies: From Theory into Practice Symposium
Monash University, Caulfield Campus
Friday 4 November, 2016

**Call For Papers Extended to July 1**

Hosted by The Monash Shakespeare Company & The Melbourne Shakespeare Society

When the field of Shakespeare and music studies emerged in the late-nineteenth century, it mainly concerned itself with the problems reconstructing the musical materials and practices of early modern theatre cultures. Since then, the field as evolved to encompass a vast body of methodologies and contexts, incorporating discussions of literature and history, and linking them to musical and theatre practices. As the field stands today, it is characterised by its eclecticism, even as it asserts its intrinsic value to Shakespeare studies more generally.

This symposium calls upon these diverse areas of expertise that make up the modern field to assist in identifying and developing strategies for the integration of music into productions of Shakespeare. We invite submissions from theatre and music practitioners, academics in literature, theatre, history and music studies, as well as postgraduate and undergraduate students, to contribute to this conversation. We impose no particular restrictions on paper topics, provided they are generally relevant to the field of Shakespeare and music studies. However, the following questions may act as a guide to submissions:

  • Why should music be considered a priority in the production of Shakespeare?
  • How can an understanding of early-modern music practice be applied to modern theatre productions?
  • How can knowledge of modern musical practices be applied to the staging of Shakespeare?
  • What specific challenges do composers face when setting Shakespeare’s language to music?
  • What types of musical resources can small theatre companies employ when staging Shakespeare?
  • How can theatre directors employ music in audition, rehearsal and production processes?

NB – Since the symposium will be practice-focused, we are also interested in considering workshop sessions.

Please submit an abstract or proposal of approximately 200 words to christian.griffiths@monash.edu by 1 July, 2016. Some travel bursaries will be available for interstate or international scholars. All submitted papers will also be considered for inclusion in an edited volume.