Daily Archives: 4 August 2017

Leeds 2018 Panel: Memories of Empire – Call For Papers

Call for Papers:  ‘Memories of Empire’
International Medieval Congress 2018, Leeds

Cerae is sourcing submissions to participate in a panel focused on ‘Memories of Empire’ for the IMC Conference at the University of Leeds (2-5 July, 2018). The focus of our panel is on the ways in which individuals or collectives used, or were influenced by, recollections and remnants of the Roman Empire.

Medieval ideas about education and civic duty were heavily influenced by Roman authors, for example, while Roman ruins were continuously used in Medieval buildings. Medieval theologians constantly grappled with the legacy of their ancient pagan forebears, while poets and playwrights sought to establish authority and prestige by placing themselves in the classical tradition through emulation and imitation. In Medieval memories and imaginations, the Roman Empire served as not only a past point of reference, but as an aspirational destination. In our panel, we would like to explore the relationship between memory, imagination and destiny. Submissions might focus on – but are not limited to:

  • studies in the visual, literary and material culture of the Carolingian empire
  • the birth of Renaissance humanism with its focus on classical notions of civic duty
  • religious appropriations of the imperial claim to political supremacy
  • medieval romance and epic as genres innovating on classical styles and themes
  • the imperialist legacy in early colonial propaganda

Cerae is aiming to gather together panellists with varied disciplinary approaches, and submissions from scholars working in art history, literature, politics, intellectual history, social studies and beyond are encouraged.

Submissions by participants willing to write up their paper as an article for review and publication in 2018 as part of Cerae Volume 5 (of the same theme) will be prioritised. We can offer bursaries of $100 towards travel costs for postgraduates and ECRs travelling from Australia and New Zealand.

Please send a 250-300 word abstract along with a brief biography/publication list to  ceraejournal@gmail.com by 31 August, 2017.

The British Isles In The Mind’s Eye: Literary Tourism And “Real” History – Call For Papers

The British Isles In The Mind’s Eye: Literary Tourism And “Real” History

What are the relations among history, fiction, and tourism? Contributions are invited for a collection of essays that will map the boundaries of and intersections among these discourses of “place,” with an emphasis on literary tourism and the British Isles. Essays may be focused on the theoretical or on studies of individual historical sites or literary authors, and they may approach the subject from the perspectives of anthropology, cultural studies, literary history, or history. Potential subjects of interest include historicality, historicity, and historical fiction; the influence of popular fiction and film on British tourism or on the marketing of historical sites to the literary tourist; the (re-)creation of history in fiction and film; and the impact of tourism on historical curation.

Send 500-word abstracts and one-page CVs as Word documents to the editor, LuAnn McCracken Fletcher (lmfletch@cedarcrest.edu), by 1 September, 2017. Accepted abstracts will be included in the proposal to the press, Lexington Books, with completed manuscripts needed by 1 June 2018.