Olivia Formby, History MPhil Candidate, University of Queensland

For a select group of postgraduate students, ANZAMEMS 2015 carried on with a one-day Postgraduate Advanced Training Seminar (PATS) on Monday 20^th July, chaired by Dr Denis Collins (UQ). This was an incredible opportunity to exchange ideas on a more intimate level with the conference keynote speakers Professors Alexandra Walsham (University of Cambridge), Laura Knoppers (Notre Dame University), and Jessie Ann Owens (UC Davis). Each of the keynotes spoke to a different theme which related to our areas of postgraduate research, before leading a general discussion on the historical and methodological “problems” of that theme.

Professor Alexandra Walsham began the day with an expert presentation on the theme of “religion,” an intrinsic aspect of the medieval and early modern worlds, and one that she warns must not be ignored. The danger of post-confessional, Enlightened history in a highly secularised Western world is that it can become difficult to take seriously the dynamism of religious beliefs in the past. As historians, it is important to remain aware of our own biases, in order to avoid the terrible “condescension of posterity.” But even as we acknowledge the reality of religious belief – and unbelief – in the past, how can we access it, particularly through often highly-mediated sources? As a group, Walsham led us to examine two extracts from fifteenth-century heresy trial depositions and, by “reading between the lines,” we were able to dissect some interesting ideas about genre, heresy and the fluid, complicated nature of religion in quite a short space of time!

The theme of “representations” was presented by Professor Laura Knoppers, who framed her discussion around the power and uses of literary, visual and material representations in the past. This was a complex theme, and relevant to all of our work with primary source material. Knoppers asked, “What is the problem of representation?” Certainly, as with understanding religious beliefs in the past, the “problem” often stems from our modern view-point. Socio-political context and communal/individual memory were essential to the interpretation (and therefore the power) of representations in the past, and so it is important for historians to place representations – whether in the form of a woodcut or a poem – as closely in their contemporary setting as possible, before discerning their “meaning.” Knoppers had us compare the regal portraits of Charles II and Louis XIV in order to realise the many little ways in which a single representation might establish relationships, authority and identity.

The final theme, and perhaps the most contentious, was that of “emotions,” expertly negotiated by Professor Jessie Ann Owens. A popular topic in the ANZAMEMS 2015 program, the history of emotions is a relatively new field, and still grappling with questions of definition and methodology. As historians begin to agree that emotions were expressed and experienced differently in the medieval and early modern past (as compared with the present), the central issue becomes our ability to adequately historicise our discussion of emotions, or rather “passions” or “sensibilities” or “humours,” as well as to access intangible and individualised feelings in the sources. Owens led an active discussion of methodology, with Barbara Rosenwein’s “emotional communities” as the starting point.

After these thematic presentations, we were given the privilege of presenting a brief report of our postgraduate research and to receive direct feedback from the expert keynotes on our topics, sources and methods. Their advice was invaluable. Visiting Professor Graeme Boone (Ohio State University) also called upon us to ask ourselves “What is at stake?” in our research, to vocalise our central thesis question, and to draw from it an answer which resonates with us, in order to remain relevant academically and engaged personally. PATS was definitely an experience that I will be taking with me into the rest of my research degree.

Olivia Formby, History MPhil Candidate, University of Queensland

If the 10th Biennial Conference of the Australian & New Zealand Association for Medieval & Early Modern Studies (ANZAMEMS) had a theme, it might have been “diversifying.” As a postgraduate delegate, I was privileged to attend papers which not only stemmed from a diverse range of disciplines, including history, philosophy, literature, art history, religion, and music, but which also transcended the traditional boundaries of those disciplines to offer new insights into our study of the past.

The first keynote address by Prof. Jessie Ann Owens of UC Davis on “Cipriano de Rore and the Musical Representation of Emotion” set the dynamic tone of the conference. A Professor of Music, this was Owens’ first foray into the history of emotions and, by her own account, has produced new ideas for her current work on de Rore. Indeed, Day One was marked by a variety of innovative and interesting papers on such topics as pregnancy, poetry, and providence. In the evening, the Welcome Reception held at the UQ Art Museum was the perfect opportunity to begin networking with the other delegates, many of whom had traversed the globe to be there, from places as close as New Zealand, and as far as Scotland. The Reception revolved around the current Wunderkammer exhibition (open until 13th September), an eclectic collection of cultural curiosities from the Medieval and Early Modern worlds, and an apt mirror of the colourful and diverse ANZAMEMS 2015 program.

Day Two was opened by Prof. Laura Knoppers, Professor of English at Notre Dame University, with her keynote address entitled “‘Draw our Luxury in Plumes’: Andrew Marvell and the Aesthetics of Disgust.” This paper was highly evocative of Restoration England and thoroughly entertaining in its reading of Marvell’s raunchier satires. After morning tea, I was honoured, and not a little nervous, to be giving my own (very first) conference paper on “The Emotional Responses of Ordinary Villagers to the Eyam Plague, 1665-1666.” This opportunity to present my research to, and alongside, a broad and highly engaged academic community was invaluable. Although I enjoyed a wide range of panels throughout the conference, I happily found my own niche on Day Two in the next panel session on Early Modern “Sickness and Health.” The day ended with a relaxed Postgraduate Drinks gathering at the Red Room, sponsored by the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry and UQ ANZAMEMS Chair. It was wonderful to meet fellow students in various stages of postgraduate life, and to share many other conference “firsts.”

The final keynote address was delivered on Day Three by Prof. Alexandra Walsham, Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge on “Domesticating the Reformation: Material Culture, Memory and Confessional Identity in Early Modern England.” This fascinating paper, accompanied by spectacular images, explored how items of Delftware formed domestic religious identities in Reformation England through the appropriation of print and image, and was a highlight of ANZAMEMS 2015. Possibly the most diversifying element of the conference was the presence of researchers from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions (ARC CHE), who formed a total of six panels, including two on Day Three. These panels centred on a single concept, such as “facial feeling” or “religious dislocation,” but incorporated multiple disciplinary approaches in their investigation of this still-burgeoning field. In the afternoon, I joined my fellow postgraduates for a round table on “Career Options” which discussed the challenges of the “traditional” tenure-track career, as well as alternative avenues for postgraduates including publishing, teaching, and librarianship. In the evening, I had the pleasure of attending the Conference Dinner at Customs House, courtesy of ARC CHE which sponsored the tickets of thirty honours and postgraduate students. This was a lovely evening, accompanied by the music of The Badinerie Players, who matched their arrangements to four of the conference papers, including Owens’.

The final two days of ANZAMEMS were filled to the brim with papers that spanned the breadth and depth of the Medieval and the Early Modern, from an emotional history of “Moravian Missions and Slavery in the Caribbean” to a study of “Women and Religious Mendicancy in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.” Day Four culminated in the inaugural meeting of the Maddern-Crawford Network, so-named for two great women in our field, and so-formed as a collective network for female academics in what is still a male-dominated profession. This round table generated a lively sense of dialogue and community, which I am sure will burn into the future.

As ANZAMEMS 2015 came to a close on Saturday 18th July, I was able to reflect on the many exchanges that had taken place, the invigorating discussion of research and ideas, as well as the new networks I had formed with other postgraduates and academics that will surely be an amazing future resource. Twitter will be a useful tool for maintaining many of these connections and, indeed, was itself a site of diverse academic exchange during the conference for anyone following the official hashtag: #ANZAMEMS2015. This was a conference of Medieval and Early Modern studies that was diversifying – and energising – in its international, open-themed and interdisciplinary form.

Lindsay Dean Breach, Doctoral Candidate, University of Canterbury

Australian & New Zealand Association for Medieval & Early Modern Studies (ANZAMEMS) did a amazing job with the 10th Biennial Conference. It is prudent to begin with thanks to those organisers behind the scenes. As Chris Jones said in his address: When things run smoothly; it’s easy to forget to say thank you. The University of Queensland was also a terrific venue. I speak from a New Zealand perspective when I say the weather was ‘fantastic’. However, comments about the weather speak to the international element of the conference. It is a testament to the esteem of ANZAMEMS that an Australasian event can attract so many international peers from as far away as Russia. Particularly because we often consider ourselves geographically isolated.

This was my first conference. My foremost concern is that the bar has been set very high. For me personally, this will be the conference against which I will judge future events. The conference boasted many wonderful papers and it was difficult to choose which to attend. The papers I did settle on were splendid. Each conveyed the labour of love of the presenter. It is important to me personally that the audience asks respectful questions and treats the presenter with the dignity they deserve. I was warned that similar academic events (clearly not ANZAMEMS events!) are often treated as opportunities to display arrogant ‘one-up-manship.’ Or worse still, professors attempting to assert their dominance over postgraduates (apparently such poor conduct happens!) to satisfy their egos. I am very happy to report this was not the case here. I did not witness a single example of undignified posturing by any member of ANZAMEMS.The conference was a friendly and safe environment of the kind that promotes learned discourse. To sum up briefly, the atmosphere was positive and audience participation was constructive.

I had the pleasure to attend papers on various subjects on medieval and early modern history. I learned a lot. To name a few, I attended a paper describing how modern conceptions of Frederick the Great as a ‘dandy’ did not impact upon his status as a King (Dr Bodie Ashton, University of Adelaide). Dr Michael Ostling (University of Queensland) expertly covered the de-mythologising of fairies and magic in an age of rationalism. Another paper described the passage of death as a pilgrimage and how the poems of Sir Walter Raleigh present this image (Cyril Caspar, University of Zurich). One paper, as part of a History of Emotions, described the impact of disfigurement on conveying emotions and pre-modern physiological understanding of the face (Dr Emily Cock, University of Adelaide). Finally, Erica Steiner (Independent Scholar) furnished an excellent paper on a ship called the hulc, which could be described as the workhorse of the British Isles. I attended many other worthy papers that I do not have space here to mention.

My own paper concerned the use, or early trust, in medieval English law. It stands as a challenge to the ‘accepted truth’ today, attributed to Pollock and Maitland, which holds the use as having emerged in response to England’s involvement in the crusades. My own panel concerned law and politics. There were numerous others panels that covered a variety of subjects such as theology, musicology, and politics. I initially approached the conference with some trepidation because I had the perceptible misfortune of being the first paper on the first day of the conference. As this was my first conference, it was an entirely new experience and I did not know what to expect. I admit to being nervous. However, I am glad to say that any thoughts of misfortune quickly evaporated. My chair did a wonderful job and I got excellent feedback. Next time, I know I can depend on the positive and supportive disposition of the ANZAMEMS membership.

The conference provided an amazing opportunity to meet experts in their field. It provided ample opportunity to exchange ideas in general discourse or in direct response to questions. Moreover, I arranged to co-publish an article with one member who I met at the conference. Therefore, the ability to exchange ideas is fundamental to the experience. ANZAMEMS facilitated the networking aspect of the conference with ample social gatherings. These proved to furnish closer relationships with existing colleagues and create new bonds with others. I am happy to say that I made a number of positive contacts and formed a number of friendships with people who I am keeping in contact with after the conference. I had no negative interactions.

Nothing ever runs perfectly and ANZAMEMS would do well to take the lessons it learned here and apply them to the next event in Wellington. I have no negative criticisms. The only room for improvement lies in the observance of the 20 minutes allocated to the papers. It is understandable when you get so many academics together that their passions shine through their papers. This is great but can mean papers may run over time. Even 10 minutes over time! The ability of chairs to control the exuberance of the speakers greatly varied. Part of the problem regarded perceptions of seniority. While not overtly an issue, it is clear that some chairs (namely postgraduates) were reluctant to stop their superiors (e.g. their supervisors). The clear lesson is that chairs should be of equal or of higher seniority to speakers.

In conclusion, the conference was one of the most positive experiences of my life. It is something I will never forget. It proved to be a superb academic experience and a wonderful opportunity to connect with others. Unfortunately for ANZAMEMS, the bar is now very high. Future organisers are faced with the expectations of a similar event. With that said: I look forward to see if the next ANZAMEMS conference in Wellington in 2017 can meet the standard now set.