Daily Archives: 22 January 2019

CFP AEMA 14 – Legitimacy and Illegitimacy

This conference of the Australian Early Medieval Association invites papers on the broad theme of legitimacy. In a modern world dominated by deeply polemical counter narratives not afraid to adjust facts to claim dominance and, thereby, legitimacy, we look at the ways in which modern forms of the pursuit of legitimacy evolved in the early Middle Ages. Legitimacy can have several meanings, covering aspects of authenticity, legality, validity, and conformity. While it literally refers to something that meets the requirements of the law, this legal aspect is not inherent: something can be legitimate without being legal, or be legal without being legitimate.

In the context of the early medieval period, who legitimated? What was their reasons for doing so? Conversely, what was set aside in the process of illegitimisation? And what do these dominant and counter narratives mean for the presentation of history? 

Legitimacy implies dominant views on authority, cultural legitimacy, status, and control of the means to ensure dominance, such as publication. It can create hidden communities and counter-narratives. Even though the early medieval period continues to exist in the popular imagination as backward and insular, in many ways it is a period marked by innovations in both the practice and pursuit of legitimacy, innovations which still resonate to this day. This conference aims to challenge the perception that the modern world is particularly modern in the way it contests legitimacy. 

We invite submissions on the following topics: 

·        Politics and Culture

·        Individuals and Institutions

·        Law and Justice 

·        Status and Inheritance

·        Authenticity and Fraud

·        Orthodoxy and Heresy

·        Truth and Propaganda 

·        Dominant and Counter Narratives

·        Objects and Spaces

·        Modern (re)interpretations of the Early Medieval 

AEMA also welcomes papers concerned with all aspects of the Early Medieval period (c. 400–1150) in all cultural, geographic, religious and linguistic settings, even if they do not strictly adhere to the theme. We especially encourage submissions from graduate students and early career researchers.

Abstracts of 250-300 words for 20-minute papers should be submitted via email to conference@aema.net.au by 5 April 2019.

Limited financial assistance is available to AEMA members on acceptance – please direct all enquiries the conference committee.

Shakespeare in Italy Summer School, Florence, July 6-19

Shakespeare in Italy’s 5th summer school is to be held this year at the British Institute in Florence from July 6 – 19. The summer school gives participants the rare opportunity to work with tutors who are leaders in their field in the UK theatre world. Royal Shakespeare Company and Globe directors Lucy Bailey and Chris Luscombe will lead work on Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet and acclaimed actor/director Philip Franks on The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Our course is practical, not academic, and it is open to all, the only proviso being that you speak English fluently. Last year in Pizzo Calabro the group ranged in age from 18 to 95. Everyone took part in putting scenes on their feet but in past years some people have wanted to participate from the comfort of their seats. Both approaches are welcome! 

The benefits are innumerable and people have a lot of fun as well as gaining great theatrical insight into the texts. Please see the PDF below for more details and contact shakespeareinitaly.eu@gmail.com with any questions.

A 5 per cent Early Bird discount on all bookings received with €400.00 deposit before February 15.

www.shakespeareinitaly.eu or phone +44 (0) 1273 285377 or +44 (0) 7493757302

Shakespeare in Italy summer school 2019 (1)Download


British Academy Global Professorships 2019

The British Academy is providing mid-career to senior scholars – active in any discipline within the social sciences and the humanities and based in any country overseas – with the opportunity to work for four years in the UK and make a contribution to UK research and higher education. This new programme aims to demonstrate and further enhance the UK’s commitment to international research partnerships and collaboration as well as strengthen the UK’s research capacity and capability in the humanities and the social sciences.

Each four-year appointment is intended to be a complete project in itself and is expected to involve a specific research focus, although the British Academy does not have a preferred model for the balance of time to be spent between research and teaching (which may vary over the course of the award and will depend on the UK host institution’s needs).

The aim of the programme is to enable world-class internationally-recognised established scholars to further their individual research goals while strengthening the UK research base and advancing the research goals and strategies of their UK host institutions.

Eligibility Requirements

 Applicants must:

  • Be a world-class internationally-recognised mid-career to senior researchers who are currently employed outside the United Kingdom, on a permanent contract (which may be part-time or full-time) or, if temporary, would normally be on a contract that will not end during the course of the grant unless expressly agreed with the Academy prior to the application being submitted that such an application would be considered eligible, in any field of the humanities or the social sciences.
  • Hold a doctoral degree (or have equivalent research experience).
  • Be available to take up an unpaid leave of absence, a long-term secondment or employment at an eligible UK host institution. Eligible institutions include but are not limited to the British International Research Institutes.
  • Awards are only available to individuals, to be held in an institutional context. Co-applicants are not permitted.
  • Awards will not be made retrospectively: this means that the work for which support is requested must not have commenced before the award is announced.
  • Awards must be taken up between 1 August 2019 – 1 February 2020.

Value and Duration

Awards are for a period of 4 years. The British Academy will provide funding of up to £187,500 per annum, and up to £750,000 over four years. The host UK institution will be expected to contribute £37,500 per annum (20% of the Academy’s annual contribution) to help support the applicant’s salary in each of the four years.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted online using the British Academy’s grants application system, Flexi-Grant.

  • Application, reference, supporting statement and UK host institution application approval deadline: 17.00 (UK time) on Wednesday, 6 March 2019.

For further information, see https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BPI619/global-professorships-2019/

Contact: internationalgrants@thebritishacademy.ac.uk or Tel: +44 20 7969 5220

CFP for Cerae Volume 6 on ‘Landscapes’

Ceræ: An Australasian Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies is calling for submissions for Volume Six on the theme of ‘Landscapes’. ‘Landscapes’ are composed of complementary and contradictory aspects that interact with, influence and impact upon one another: the natural environment – encompassing plants, animals, and underlying earth itself in all parts of the world – and the imprint of human society on the environment in both physical and intellectual capacities. We can refer to a defined geographic area that is associated with a specific historic event, person, or culture, as well as to the ways in which people interact with their environment throughout time and space. How individuals and societies have interacted with their natural environment, have been limited by it, have tried to shape it, control it, and ultimately have changed it over many centuries of interaction.

Topics may include but are not limited to:

  • investigations on urban and/or rural landscapes
  • relationships with the natural world
  • visual, textual and material representations of landscapes
  • non-visual sensory perceptions of the natural world
  • land-forming, land reclamation, and land loss
  • landscape as metaphor
  • landscape aesthetics
  • ecocriticism
  • cultural landscapes
  • linguistic landscapes
  • mythic landscapes
  • spiritual landscapes
  • the landscapes of conversion, faith and holiness
  • the impact of climate change on medieval and early modern landscapes
  • archaeological landscapes of the past within the present
  • industrial vs agricultural cultural landscapes

Cerae invites submissions encompassing all aspects of the late classical, medieval and early modern world. There are no geographical restrictions. As an interdisciplinary journal, Ceræ encourages submissions across the fields of archaeology, art history, historical ecology, literature, intellectual history, musicology, politics, social studies and beyond.

Articles should be approximately 5000-7000 words. Ceræ particularly encourages submissions from postgraduates and early career researchers. Further details regarding submission and author guidelines including the journal style sheet can be found online at: http://openjournals.arts.uwa.edu.au/index.php/cerae/about/submissions. Non-themed submissions are welcome at any point throughout the year.
The deadline for themed submissions will be 28 February 2019.

Essay Prizes

Ceræ is pleased to offer a prize of $200 (AUD), which will be awarded to the best article in volume 6 on the theme of ‘Landscapes’ by a post-graduate student or early-career researcher.

All further enquiries are most welcome and can be directed to the editor at editorcerae@gmail.com.