Short abstracts (100-200 words) are welcomed for proposed chapters in the edited volume, The Medieval in Museums. Please send abstracts by 5pm GMT on Monday 3 November to Fran Allfrey (University of York) and Maia Blumberg (QMUL) fran.allfrey@york.ac.uk ; m.blumberg@qmul.ac.uk. Inquires can also be directed here.
The Medieval in Museums seeks to demonstrate the cultural, aesthetic, political and historical stakes and effects of how medieval objects, texts, and histories are presented in museums. Our interpretation of ‘museum’ is broad, encompassing a range of ‘memory institutions’ including galleries, libraries, archives, and museums, and heritage sites both independently and government managed. We invite contributions which address the presentation of the medieval in physical galleries, landscapes, or other visitor-facing spaces in exhibitions and events programming; in behind-the-scenes archive and collections stores; and analogue or digital database or catalogue systems. Similarly, ‘the medieval’ here encompasses Late Antiquity to the Late Medieval, as a temporal marker which shifts according to geo-spatial-political realities across a ‘global Middle Ages’.
We welcome traditional chapters, and will also consider dialogues, interviews, or other creative-critical text-based formats. Contributions may be from individual authors or two or more co-authors.
Full CFP available via the following link ➡️bit.ly/CfPMiM
The Consortium for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine has a new working group: Beauty Studies in the Premodern World. The group offers a transdisciplinary forum to explore the cultural histories of beautification and bodily care in the premodern world, examining beauty practices as historically significant forms of knowledge related to health, hygiene, status, and identity. The Working Group will meet once a month.
We are delighted to start with a reading seminar with Evelyn Welch (University of Bristol): ‘Whose Hair is it Anyway? Beauty, Health and Shaven Heads in Early Modern Europe’. This is based on Chapter 5 of Renaissance Skin (Manchester University Press, 2025). The full book is available open access here.
This will be on 13 October at 1:00 pm UK time / 2:00 pm CEST. The meeting link is available via the CHSTM website after you register.
We very much hope to see some of you there. Please share this to any of your colleagues that might be interested.
There are two more talks scheduled for 2025:
Monday, November 10, 2025, 1pm UK time/2pm CET Seminar with Katharina Seidl (Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna / Ambras Castle, Innsbruck) on the “The Art of Beauty exhibition” at Ambras Castle, Innsbruck (June-October 2025)
Monday, December 8, 2025, 1pm UK time/2pm CET Reading seminar with Erin Griffey (University of Auckland) on her book Facing Decay: Beauty, Aging and Cosmetics in Early Modern Europe (Penn State University Press, 2025)
On behalf of, Erin Griffey, Montserrat Cabré, and Romana Sammern
25th George Rudé Seminar in French History and Culture 8-10 July 2026 University of Western Australia
The conference organisers are pleased to invite you to the 25th George Rudé Seminar in French History and Culture, which will be held from 8-10 July 2026 in Boorloo / Perth at the University of Western Australia on the unceded land of the Whadjuk Noongar on the banks of the Derbal Yerrigan / Swan River.
The George Rudé Seminar, held every second year in Australia or New Zealand, brings together specialists in French history and culture from across the world in recognition of the contribution made by George Rudé to the study of French history and culture in Australasia and internationally.
Call for Papers: The conference welcomes papers on all aspects of French and Francophone history, from the Middle Ages to the present. Papers may be given in English or in French and will normally be of 20 minutes duration. Proposals for thematic panels of three papers will also be considered.
While the conference will mainly be held in person, some online presentations will be possible. Please indicate your requirements when submitting your proposal. Please note that the conference will run in Australian Western Standard times.
Proposal Submissions: Proposals including presentation title, 200-word paper abstract, 150-word biographical statement, are due by 15 December 2025. Successful proposals to present will be notified by 31 January 2026.
All queries and proposals should be sent to: georgerudeseminar2026@gmail.com
Travel Bursaries: A limited number of travel bursaries will be available to postgraduate, early career and unwaged presenters to support the costs of travel to the conference. See further details about the Alison Patrick Memorial Scholarship below. Please indicate in your proposal submission if you would like to be considered for bursary support and what your specific support needs are.
French History and Culture: Each Rudé conference produces a peer-reviewed selection of papers in the journal French History and Culture, published free and online through H-France at http://www.h-france.net/rude/rudepapers.html.
George Rudé Society: For further information on the George Rudé Society and on earlier conferences, see https://h-france.net/rude/
Alison Patrick Memorial Scholarship
Applications are invited for a scholarship in memory of Alison Patrick, to enable (post)graduate students to attend the George Rudé Seminar in French History and Culture. The Scholarship provides up to $3300 (AUD) towards travel and expenses.
Alison Patrick was Reader in History at the University of Melbourne. She had a lifelong interest in the scholarship of the French Revolution, and a strong commitment to students. She was one of the founders of the Rudé Seminar and presented papers over many years.
Eligibility: The Scholarship is open to students undertaking full- or part-time doctoral study in French or francophone history (or a related field) at a recognised university anywhere in the world.
Applications: Applications for the Scholarship to attend the 2026 George Rudé Seminar at The University of Western Australia, in Boorloo/Perth, should be sent to georgerudeseminar2026@gmail.com
Applicants should send a CV, a 200-word paper abstract, and provide the names of two academic referees (one of whom should be the candidate’s supervisor) by the closing date: 15 December 2025
The email application must be clearly marked ‘Alison Patrick Memorial Scholarship Application’ in the subject line.
Conditions: The recipient/s is expected to attend in person and present a paper at the Rudé Seminar. They will also be expected to offer the paper as an article for publication in French History and Culture. Papers from the George Rudé Seminar, published on H-France. If accepted, following referees’ reports, the published article will carry an acknowledgement of the Scholarship.
Costs incurred will be reimbursed upon presentation of receipts. In certain cases, fares may be paid directly by the Scholarship fund.
Part scholarships may be offered to more than one applicant. The Scholarship will not be awarded to the same person twice. If numerous applications of equal quality are received, preference may be given to papers on the French Revolution, Alison Patrick’s primary area of interest.