Call for Applications – Workshop on the Public Medieval (October 2024) at Virginia Tech

Updated on April 25, 2024 by bsanacom

The Medieval Academy of America’s jobs report from May 2023, coupled with the complementary data presented in the American Historical Association’s jobs report of September 2023, demonstrate well the (potential) grim future of medieval studies in the United States. But trends are not destiny. Students continue to fill our courses across all disciplines, and (at least anecdotally) public demand for premodern or premodern-adjacent fantasy content – films, tv, books – seems to be growing. Moreover, there’s a strong case to be made that knowing more both about the medieval world and how stories about that period have been deployed in modernity, are becoming increasingly necessary. The MAA has a moment to make that case with its Centennial, both in the earned media that will accrue to medieval studies with the celebration, and in the decentralized slate of activities across the country that will accompany the year-long event.

To that end, Virginia Tech (in partnership with the University of Virginia, and with support from a Centennial Grant from the Medieval Academy of America) is hosting a 2-day workshop in October 2024 to mentor colleagues so that they can do public-facing work. This can include, but is not limited too, planning events on their home campuses in support of the 2025 MAA Centennial celebration, positioning themselves to write pieces for newspapers and magazines, and working with other cultural institutions, among others.

Graduate students, early career researchers, and underemployed MedievALLists, are especially encouraged to apply but all scholars in any discipline working on the medieval world, broadly defined, are welcome.

The event will be held Thursday October 3 – Saturday October 5, 2024 on the campus of Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA).

DETAILS:

To allow for close collaboration between mentors and participants, spaces are limited to 15 participants.
All participants will receive a $750 stipend to defray travel and lodging. Food will be provided at the event itself.
Topics covered will include considerations on doing public writing and event planning from experienced mentors. Time will also be dedicated to workshopping an idea in a small group, and in collaboration with a dedicated mentor (see below).

MENTORS:

Sarah E. Bond (University of Iowa)
Matthew Gabriele (Virginia Tech, organizer)
Eleanor Janega (HistoryHit and Going Medieval)
David M. Perry (University of Minnesota)
Cord Whitaker (Wellesley College)

Please apply here.

To apply, you’ll be required to submit a current CV, as well as a statement about what proposed public-facing work you’d be interested in doing in the coming year. Applications are due no later than 11:59pm on May 1, 2024. Accepted participants will be notified on around June 1, 2024.

See more at www.publicmedieval.org. Please share widely and direct any questions to the organizer, Prof. Matthew Gabriele (gabriele@vt.edu).

Mentorship Program for East-Central European Scholars

Updated on April 23, 2024 by bsanacom

Please find here the Call for Applications for the Dumbarton Oaks Mentorship Program for East-Central European Scholars, co-organized with North of Byzantium and Connected Central European Worlds, 1500-1700.

We invite applications for a remote four-session mentorship program tailored to early-career scholars, with a special focus on those affected by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The four sessions will take place in Fall of 2024 (September-November) and Spring of 2025 (February-April).

We encourage historians and art historians with a specialty in the medieval or early modern visual culture of East-Central Europe to apply to this program. The successful applicants should be advanced PhD candidates (within 1 year of completion of their degrees) or junior-level scholars (up to 5 years since graduation with a doctoral degree).

The deadline for applications is May 12, 2024.

Please circulate this to colleagues and students who might be interested.

Fwd: Gennadius Library Workshop “Orthodoxy and the Ottoman World Around It: Cultural and Intellectual Connections, 1657-1861”

Posted on April 23, 2024 by bsanacom

The Gennadius Library is organizing a workshop convened by Dr. Yusuf Ziya Karabicak, Constantine and George Macricostas Fellow 2023-2024 at the Gennadius Library, on Tuesday April 23, 2024 in Cotsen Hall from 10 am to 8pm (and online).

The workshop entitled “Orthodoxy and the Ottoman World Around It: Cultural and Intellectual Connections, 1657-1861” brings together ten scholars who focus on neglected aspects of the relationship between actors around the Orthodox Church and the Ottoman government. The focus is on the cultural and intellectual connections, material ties, everyday relations, and shared frameworks for understanding the politics that created influences which went both ways. For more information click here.

CFP Workshop LMU 22-23 November 2024

Updated on April 16, 2024 by bsanacom

Call for Papers: International Workshop

Saints and martyrs between Italy and the Mediterranean in Late Antiquity: Movements, connections, and influences

In a world such as the Late Antique one, which was experiencing profound changes compared to the previous period, areas once held together by imperial political cohesion, found themselves related by a new connection produced by the expansion of Christianity: the movement and exchange of the cult of saints.

The exchange and spread of the cults of saints and martyrs is testified by archaeological, iconographic, literary and other sources. Among the literary sources, this is illustrated, for example, by the presence of non-local cults in the liturgical calendars of certain geographical areas. A further example is provided by the accounts of late antique pilgrims and authors compiling hagiographies of martyrs, whose cult arrived through the transport of relics. Further evidence of mutual connections and influences is also attested by the construction of basilicas dedicated to ‘imported’ saints, with the consequent worship of these non-local patrons.

Within this context, Italy seems having an important role, not only in the ‘exportation’ of its own saints, but also in the reception and assimilation of foreign saints. In addition to the traditional worship, these are also assimilated into local cults. Therefore, this entails, for example, the change of the urban space itself, with the foundation of dedicated basilicas or the assimilation of foreign saints into local hagiographic literature.

Consequently, Italy may be considered as an important area of origin and spread of the cult of saints in the Mediterranean. Moreover, it may be considered as an attracting place for a large foreign cult, making it an excellent example of the movement of the cults of saints and martyrs within the whole late antique geographical area.

The aim of the workshop is to investigate and deepen the dynamics and the questions involved in the circulation of the cults of saints and martyrs from Italy to other areas of the Mediterranean and vice versa. Additionally, the objective is to analyse which exchanges and mutual influences these movements entailed and in which sources they can be found. In conclusion, the interest is directed towards the reasons why certain non-local cults became important in specific geographical areas and, in addition to the martyrs, if the cults of sanctified bishops or rather confessors around whom a cult developed and spread to areas far from their origins were also spread and assimilated.

We will accept proposals for papers, from a multidisciplinary perspective: scholars of archaeology, art history, iconography, architecture, epigraphy, hagiography, late antique, early Christian literature and ancient history. Additionally, all related disciplines are welcome to submit a paper.

The following topics are suggested, but any other topic is accepted:

– The spread of the cult of saints and martyrs between Italy and other areas of the

Mediterranean through epigraphic, hagiographic, iconographic sources

– The transport of relics: archaeological and historiographical evidence

– The construction of basilicas or monasteries dedicated to ‘imported’ saints

– The role of bishops in the spread of the cults of saints and martyrs

– The spread of cults dedicated not only to martyrs, but rather to bishops or confessors

You are invited to submit an abstract (maximum 300 words) accompanied by a short CV by 24 Mai. All submissions should include your name, e-mail address and academic affiliation (if applicable). Participants are expected to give a 20–30-minute talk, followed by an extended session for discussion. The workshop will take place in person in English at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich on 22-23 November 2024. A publication is planned, for which the contributions may be in English, German or Italian. A contribution will also be made towards travel expenses.

The workshop is organised by the Institut für Byzantinistik, Byzantinische Kunstgeschichte und Neogräzistik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, with the kind support of the Spätantike Archäologie und Byzantinische Kunstgeschichte e.V.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact:

Daniela Coppola, M.A.

Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität, Munich

info.saintsandmartyrsworkshop@gmail.com

Announcement for next MJC BSANA workshop (data)

Updated on April 8, 2024 by bsanacom

The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture and the Byzantine Studies Association of North America are pleased to offer a week-long data workshop for graduate students and early career researchers in collaboration with Dr. Paula Loreto Granados García of The British Museum and Dr. Ryan Horne of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Data Literacy for Byzantinists, workshop by Paula Loreto Granados García (The British Museum) and Ryan Horne (UCLA), Zoom, May 13–17, 2024, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM EDT (with a lunch break and lab time)

This online workshop will offer Byzantinists an introduction to data and its management. Participants will explore the data lifecycle from creation and acquisition through analysis and visualization and learn best practices for data management. This material will be complemented by sessions touching on data analysis—particularly social network analysis—IIIF, linked open data (LOD) and the Semantic Web, the basics of Python and Jupyter Notebook, and spatial humanities and geodata. Participants will be introduced to an array of tools, such as Gephi, OpenRefine, Quarto, Recogitio, Tableau, and Voyant. Throughout the week, participants will learn the basics of GitHub, create accounts, and setup GitHub pages that will be used during the workshop. Participants will use their own data and prepared datasets to complete assigned exercises.

The workshop is limited to 15 participants. The time commitment for this workshop is 20 hours of instruction and an additional 30 minutes to an hour between sessions for practice exercises and preparation for following session. Participants are expected to attend all sessions. Registration is first come, first served.

Registration closes Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

Who is eligible?

Graduate students and early career researchers (PhD received after May 2016) in the field of Byzantine studies. Students enrolled in graduate programs in North America and early career researchers working in North America will be given priority. Graduate students and early career researchers outside of North America will be placed on a waiting list and contacted if space is available.
All participants must be BSANA members. BSANA membership is free for graduate students and early-career contingent scholars who have earned their PhD within the last eight years and who do not hold a permanent or tenure-track appointment.

To read a full description of the workshop and register your interest, please visit https://maryjahariscenter.org/events/data-literacy-for-byzantinists.

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any questions.

History of Science in the Medieval World summer school

Updated on April 2, 2024 by bsanacom

The History of Science in the Medieval World (HSMW) summer school, organized by St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, with Academic Theatre Ikaros, in cooperation with the International Summer Seminar in Bulgarian Language and Culture (University of Veliko Tarnovo), with the support of the Faculty of Slavic Studies, Sofia University is happy to announce its Second 2024 edition which will take place from 15 to 19 July 2024 in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria.

In its pilot 2022 edition, HSMW Summer School introduced the participants to the medieval epistemic fields (sciences) which study the natural world (the kosmos) as a space, namely geography, cosmography, and astronomy. In 2024, we shift the focus to the history of knowledge and the practitioners and their practices: from the geographers and the astronomers, the map and instrument makers, to the users of medieval herbals and the artisans preparing sgraffito pottery and enamel.

The instructors include: Marie-Hélène Blanchet (CNRS, UMR 8167 Orient et Méditerranée, Monde byzantin); Chiara D’Agostini (Department of Culture and Language, University of Southern Denmark); Aneta Dimitrova (Faculty of Slavic Studies, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”); Stephanie Drew (Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York); Rossina Kostova (Department of Archaeology, Faculty of History, St Cyril and St Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo); Divna Manolova (MSCA Paris Region Postdoctoral Fellow, Université PSL-Observatoire de Paris, SYRTE, CNRS); Angel Nikolov (Faculty of History, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”); Shannon Steiner (Independent Researcher, Practicing Goldsmith).

The participants will acquire fundamental knowledge concerning the place and role of the sciences in the intellectual world of the Middle Ages. They will also develop an understanding of premodern science as a spectrum of disciplines wider than the late antique framework of the four mathematical sciences (arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy) and inclusive of all epistemic domains dedicated to the creation, preservation, and transfer of knowledge. The School relies on a discussion-based and experiential / experimental format. That is, the School includes workshops, which will guide the participants into the use of medieval scientific manuscripts, texts, and instruments, and will introduce them to tradition and modern practice of sgraffito ware production in the city of Veliko Tarnovo. The lectures will be conducted in a hybrid way, whereas the workshops will be in person.

Application Deadline: 29 April 2024

In order to apply, please send a short bio and description of what motivates your application (maximum one page altogether). There is no need to submit your extended CV.

Please indicate in your application whether you would like to attend the Summer School in person or online.

Please address your application materials and your informal inquiries to Dr Divna Manolova at manolova.divna@gmail.com.

Available places: The School offers ten places for in-person participants wishing to attend both the lecture and workshop sessions. There is no limit for the number of online participants, but their registration is restricted solely to the lecture sessions. During the selection process, preference will be given to MA and PhD students, but researchers, writers, artists, and non-academic professionals with an interest in the Middle Ages and / or History of Science are also welcome to apply.

We cannot offer any financial support to cover travel and accommodation expenses.

There is no participation fee.

The common discussion language of the School will be English. If the participants know a medieval scholarly language (for this edition: Latin, Greek and/or Old Church Slavonic), this would be an advantage, but it is not an essential requirement for participation.

For more information about the HSMW summer school and for the full programme, see here. The poster is available here. I am also attaching them to the present email. If you would consider sharing them through your networks, that would be of great help!

SPBS Virtual Event | Dumbarton Oaks Collections Tour

Updated on March 14, 2024 by bsanacom

The Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies is pleased to invite you to join our upcoming Dumbarton Oaks Collections Virtual Tour, delivered by Elizabeth Dospěl Williams, curator of the Byzantine Collections.

Venue: Online

Date: Mon 25th March 2024

Time: 6:00PM (UK time)

You can find out more about this event and book your place here.

Index of Medieval Art online training

Posted on March 4, 2024 by bsanacom

The Index of Medieval Art will be holding a new online training session for anyone interested in learning more about the database! It will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 from 10:00 – 11:00 am EST.

This session, led by Index specialists Maria Alessia Rossi and Jessica Savage, will demonstrate how the database can be used with advanced search options, filters, and browse tools to locate works of medieval art. There will be a Q&A period at the end of the session, so please bring any questions you might have about your research!

Further information and registration can be found here: https://ima.princeton.edu/index_training/

Inscriptions in a Digital Environment Workshop

Updated on March 4, 2024 by bsanacom

The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture and Byzantine Studies Association of North America are pleased to offer a three-part EpiDoc workshop for graduate students and early career researchers in collaboration with Martina Filosa of the University of Cologne.

Inscriptions in a Digital Environment: An Introduction to EpiDoc for Byzantinists, workshop by Martina Filosa (University of Cologne), Zoom, April 5, 12, and 26, 2024, 11:00 AM–3:00 PM EDT with a break from 12:30–1:00 PM

In this online workshop, participants will explore the use of EpiDoc, the established standard for digitally encoding ancient inscriptions, papyri, and other primary and documentary texts in TEI XML for online publication and interchange. The workshop will also introduce the participants to the EFES (EpiDoc Front-End Services) platform for viewing and publishing EpiDoc editions. The workshop will include asynchronous tutorials, real-time sessions, and guided hands-on exercises. Participants will have the opportunity to work with their own epigraphic material, broadly understood.

While no preexisting technical knowledge is required, participants are expected to be familiar with the transcription conventions for inscriptions (“Leiden”) and have proficiency in either Greek, Latin, or other ancient languages pertinent to their epigraphic tradition.

The workshop is limited to 15 participants. The time commitment for this workshop is 12 hours of instruction and an additional 5 hours for review of asynchronous materials and approximately 3 hours between each session for practice exercises and preparation for the following session. Participants are expected to attend all sessions. Registration is first come, first served.

Registration closes Friday, March 22, 2024.

Who is eligible?

Graduate students and early career researchers (PhD received after April 2016) in the field of Byzantine studies. Students enrolled in graduate programs in North America and early career researchers working in North America will be given priority. Graduate students and early career researchers outside of North America will be placed on a waiting list and contacted if space is available.
All participants must be BSANA members. BSANA membership is free for graduate students and early-career contingent scholars who have earned their PhD within the last eight years and who do not hold a permanent or tenure-track appointment. If you are not already a BSANA member, please complete the BSANA Membership Form (https://bsana.net/members/) before registering for the workshop. Your membership status will be confirmed before your space in the workshop is confirmed.

To read a full description of the workshop and register your interest, please visit: https://maryjahariscenter.org/events/inscriptions-in-a-digital-environment

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any questions.

Photo Research Expedition to Medieval Balkan Churches

Updated on February 8, 2024 by bsanacom

The “Fresco-Hunting” Photo Research Expedition to Medieval Balkan Churches provides a unique opportunity for students and volunteers to take part in an expedition to document abandoned medieval churches/chapels and their frescos in western Bulgaria, and to visit many other Christian Orthodox churches, monasteries, museums and archaeological sites in Sofia and western Bulgaria.

The field school is designed for students and young specialists in heritage, archaeology and conservation as well as artists, but we also welcome anyone interested in:

medieval civilization in Southeastern Europe (especially Byzantine and Christian Orthodox architecture, arts and iconography during the late medieval period: 13th to 17th centuries)
digital photography
documentation of ecclesiastic architecture and frescos
cultural heritage preservation
travel to significant heritage sites in western Bulgaria.

Dates: 25 May – 08 June, 2024

For more information and to apply: https://www.bhfieldschool.org/program/medieval-fresco-photo-expedition

Academic credits available through our partner New Bulgarian University

Chriselpida Kamma

Admissions Officer

Balkan Heritage Field School

7 Tulovo, 4th Floor, Apt.6, 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria

+359 988250901