Against Conventions: Uncommon Social Roles of Women and Men from Early Modern Times to 1945
Historical Institute of the University of Wroclaw
30 November – 1 December, 2017

Conference Website

The Historical Institute of the University of Wroclaw hereby invites scholars and PhD students to join us for the international conference: Against Conventions. Uncommon Social Roles of Women and Men from Early Modern Times to 1945 to be held in Wroclaw, November 30th – December 1st, 2017. The organizers propose to use tools which the category of gender gives in humanistic and social studies. However, we would like to overcome present tendencies to separate studies related to women or men. We hope that during the meeting it will be possible to capture mechanisms occurred while undertaking tasks which were contrary to social norms from both „feminine”, and „masculine” perspectives. We are aware that definitely more women struggled with social boundaries. Nevertheless, we consider the reflection on men’s experience, who also faced such challenges, as equally important.

We encourage experienced researchers, young scholars, as well as PhD students to focus on the following issues:

A) METHODOLOGY-CURRENT STATE OF RESEARCH-PERSPECTIVES:

• methodology of gender studies,
• difficulties and obstacles in studies on social roles,
• current state of research regarding social roles,
• new themes and research perspectives;

B) ACTIONS AND MOTIVATIONS:

• uncommon actions taken by women/men,
• circumstances under which one might/was forced to play an untypical role, traditionally assigned to the opposite sex,
• motivation to act against the formulaic schemes,
• strategies for action,
• factors determining success/defeat;

C) CONCEQUENCES:

• behavior and emotions of people who were undertaking activities characteristic for the opposite sex,
• “import” of attitudes resulted from traditional tasks in family and society to “new” roles,
• reproducing models of behavior characteristic for the opposite sex,
  attitudes of people performing typical roles towards these women or men who were taking actions against the conventions,
• mechanisms related to crossing the boundaries from comparative perspective (in different countries and cultures)

D) BELIEFS AND PERCEPTIONS:

• division into „feminine” and „masculine” roles and changes in their perception,
• attitudes towards women/men acting differently to adopted standards; consequences of the progressive emancipation of women,
• characteristic of groups and individuals who tried to combat stereotypical thinking about roles of women and men in society: their strategies, motivation and results of actions,
• who, for what purpose, by what methods and with what result tried to retain status quo in division into “feminine” and “masculine” social roles.

The aforementioned issues indicate the main directions of discussion, nonetheless we encourage to submit other proposals related to the main theme of the conference.

Your proposal should be submitted by August 30, 2017 via the registration form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdy6Z3Ny5jBuVLrMXbAEcfGvfZ2TahgmobFTjM-DFETW5a8BQ/viewform

The Communities and Margins of Early Modern Scotland
St. Mungo’s Museum, Glasgow
20-21 October, 2017

Our aim is to provide a space for postgraduates, early career researchers, and academics to come together and facilitate lively discussion on narratives surrounding the concept of the ‘community’ and those who participated on the margins of early modern Scotland.

Possible themes may include, but are not limited to:

• Gender relations and social stratification
• Religious and political communities
• Textual communities; scholars, poets, playwrights, book-sellers
• Gaelic culture within and outwith the Highlands
• Crime, conflict and cohesion within the community
• Minority communities; the ‘othering’ of marginal sects
• Scots on the periphery and abroad; identity formation

We welcome proposals for both 20 minute papers, and for panels consisting of no more than three papers. Abstracts of 300 words along with a brief biographical note should be sent to ‘scottishstudies2017@gmail.com’ by Friday 28 July, 2017.

Papers can be delivered in English, Scots or Scottish Gaelic. A limited number of travel bursaries will be made available.

New Directions in the Study of Medieval Sculpture
Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
16–17 March, 2018

Focusing on the materiality of medieval sculpture has proven crucial to its study and has expanded our historical understanding of sculpture itself. Whether monumental relief sculpture in stone, wooden sculptures in the round, sculpted altarpieces, ivory plaques or enamelled reliquaries, the possibilities for research on medieval sculpture now extend far beyond the established canon.

Contemporary medieval sculpture studies have opened the field to comparative and inclusive research that embraces the social, performative, gendered and ritual uses of medieval sculpture. These developments have inspired the organisers of the conference New Directions in the Study of Medieval Sculpture to reflect on the field and ask how do we investigate medieval sculpture today and what might come ‘after’ materiality?

This two-day conference seeks to assess and critique the state of the field on medieval sculpture and to investigate new directions, approaches and technologies for research. A consideration of the state of the field could be approached through, but is not limited to, the following topics:

• Processes and techniques of medieval sculpture
• The sensory experience of medieval sculpture
• The ephemeral and intangible aspects of medieval sculpture
• Medieval sculpture, photography and digital reproduction
• Archives, casts and reconstructing medieval sculpture
• Sculpture and medievalism
• Historiography of medieval sculpture studies
• Exhibition histories of medieval sculpture

This conference is hosted by the Henry Moore Institute, a centre for the study of sculpture, and is convened by Dr Elisa Foster, 2016-18 Henry Moore Foundation Post-doctoral Fellow.

Accommodation and reasonable travel expenses within the UK will be reimbursed.

Paper proposals should be sent via email to Dr Elisa Foster: elisa.foster@henry-moore.org by 30 September, 2017.

Grief and Consolation
IAS/UWA Classics and Ancient History/CHE Symposium
Institute of Advanced Studies, The University of Western Australia
15 September, 2017

More info: http://www.historyofemotions.org.au/events/grief-and-consolation
Submissions Deadline: 1 August, 2017
Submissions: Send to Lara O’Sullivan (lara.osullivan@uwa.edu.au)

Grief, particularly the grief associated with bereavement, has been a constant companion of humanity throughout the ages. But how are we best to deal with grief? Traditional rituals have had a part to play, but consolation for grief has also been sought through intellectual processes: through awareness and (self-) analysis of the emotional and cognitive responses to grief, and through the articulation of grief in language, music and the arts.

Held under the joint aegis of the Institute of Advanced Studies UWA, the Discipline of Classics and Ancient History at UWA, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of the Emotions, this interdisciplinary colloquium proposes a broad exploration of grief, and of the strategies employed in the consolation grief across time and culture. Papers (of c. 20 minutes’ duration) are invited to engage with this theme, whether literary, musical, philosophical, medical or other perspectives.

The special guest at the colloquium will be Professor Han Baltussen, the Walter Watson Hughes Professor Classics at the University of Adelaide. Professor Baltussen will be visiting UWA in September as an IAS Visiting Professor; while in Perth, he will be working on his current project, which traces the emergence of the conscious treatment of grief in ancient Greek oratory, philosophy and medicine.