Announcements

National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships at the ASCSA

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Funding Opportunity: National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships at the ASCSA.
Deadline: October 31, 2023
The NEH Fellowship supports postdoctoral and advanced research in all humanities fields supported by its mission and resources. Founded in 1881, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) is a premier resource in Greece for American scholars in the fields of Greek language, literature, history, archaeology, philosophy, and art, from pre-Hellenic times to the present. It offers two major research libraries: the Blegen, with over 113,000 volumes dedicated to the ancient Mediterranean world; and the Gennadius, with over 146,000 volumes and archives devoted to post-classical Hellenic civilization and, more broadly, the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean. The School also provides centers for advanced research in archaeological and related topics at the Athenian Agora and Corinth excavations, and at the Malcolm H. Wiener Laboratory for Archaeological Sciences. By agreement with the Greek government, the ASCSA is authorized to serve as liaison with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports on behalf of American students and scholars for the acquisition of permits to conduct archaeological work and to study collections.
For more information: https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/fellowships-and-grants/postdoctoral-and-senior-scholars

Fellowship: WHITEHEAD DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR, for 2024-2025

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ELIZABETH A. WHITEHEAD DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR
Two Positions for 2024-2025
Deadline: October 31, 2023

Term: Early September 2024 to end of May 2025.

Eligibility: An established scholar working in any area related to the mission of the School who possesses a significant record of publication and teaching and is affiliated with a Cooperating Institution. Applicants should hold the rank of Associate Professor (or equivalent) or higher. Preference will be given to those who have not received recent funding from the School. Previous holders of the Whitehead may apply if the previous term was at least five years prior. Applicants should have reasonable expectation of being granted leave to take up the position should it be awarded. Successful applicants are normally given about four weeks from late December to early January to accept or decline the award. The Whitehead Scholar is considered a fulltime position, and holders may not accept other forms of employment during the tenure of the award.
Project: The Whitehead Distinguished Scholar shall pursue research on a project that uses the facilities of the School and enriches its academic program. Whitehead Scholars participate in the academic life of the School in a variety of ways, especially by working closely with Regular and Student Associate members of the School during the winter term (late November to late March) on the subject of their expertise, and by joining School trips and excursions throughout Greece. A list of past Scholars’ work with members is available here on the School’s website.
Applicants are encouraged to consult with the Mellon Professor, Brendan Burke (bburke@ascsa.edu.gr), well in advance of the October 31, 2023, deadline when planning their proposed contributions to the academic program of the School.
Compensation: Stipend of $40,000 plus round-trip coach airfare to Athens, board at Loring Hall for the Whitehead Scholar (one-half senior rate for spouse and one-half student rate for dependents), School housing, and hotel and transportation on any or all of the field trips and excursions that comprise the Regular Academic program.
Application: On or before October 31, applicants should submit the following materials as part of the online application:
  • Brief statement of interest (1 page)
  • Curriculum vitae (max. 3 pages) including list of publications
  • Statement of current and projected research (max. 3 pages)
  • Proposed contribution to the academic program (max. 3 pages)
  • Account of the frequency and length of earlier visits to Greece
  • Two letters of recommendation to be submitted online by October 31. Upon submission of the online application, recommenders will be sent an automated email with instructions about how to submit their letters of recommendation. Or, applicants may choose to send the request at any time by clicking the “Send Request Now” button on the application form.
The selection committee may conduct a short interview as part of the application process, and finalists will be notified in advance. The appointments will be announced by January 15, 2024.
The American School of Classical Studies at Athens does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national or ethnic origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation when considering admission to any form of membership or application for employment.

 

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American School of Classical Studies at Athens
321 Wall Street
Princeton, NJ 08540-1515
Email: programs@ascsa.org
Website: https://www.ascsa.edu.gr

Exhibit announcement: “Spirituality in Eastern Christianity: Images of a Living Tradition”

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Exhibit announcement: “Spirituality in Eastern Christianity: Images of a Living Tradition,” photographs by Alain de Lotbinière opens at Museum of Russian Icons on September 22.

THE MUSEUM OF RUSSIAN ICONS
203 Union Street, Clinton, MA 01510 | www.museumofrussianicons.org
Nina Berger, Public Relations | ninajberger@gmail.com | 617.543.1595

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Museum of Russian Icons presents Spirituality in Eastern Christianity: Images of a Living Tradition, an exhibition of photographs by Alain de Lotbinière

September 22, 2023—January 21, 2024

CLINTON, MA––The Museum of Russian Icons presents Spirituality in Eastern Christianity: Images of a Living Tradition, an exhibition of photographs by Alain de Lotbinière, September 22, 2023–January 21, 2024. The 26 images that compose this exhibition were taken during the course of several trips to Northern Macedonia, Serbia and Russia, as well as during visits to sites in Turkey and Egypt.

The history of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Churches trace their roots to the very earliest days of Christianity, such that by the fourth century CE it had taken root not only within the Roman and Byzantine Empires, but also in countries that today include Syria, Iraq, Iran, India, Egypt and Ethiopia. The much later schism of 1054 CE that resulted in the separation of the Eastern and Western Catholic faiths, also resulted in fundamentally different expressions of spirituality as defined by their respective churches. Whereas in the Western Christian tradition it is taught that the way to know God is mainly through the word of the Bible and the light of human reason, the Eastern approach is decidedly experiential, the image of God being contained in the “Nous”, or heart, of a person’s being. Eastern Christian spiritual traditions teach that it is through the experience of the Holy Mysteries that a direct knowledge of God is possible, the emphasis in the West being on faith and intellectual reasoning.

“For those of us educated in the Western traditions of humanism and intellectual reasoning, it may be difficult to comprehend the Orthodox traditions when it comes to their reverence for icons, examples of which adorn this museum,” states de Lotbinière. “For the Orthodox believers, icons are not images that are worshipped in the traditional sense of the word, but rather images that are venerated, being seen as windows to the spiritual realm. This reverence is witnessed whenever we step into an Orthodox church, as hopefully some of these images succeed in conveying.”

The majority of the images were taken with Leica monochrome digital cameras, cameras in which the color filter array present in all other digital cameras is removed, thereby allowing more light, and consequently more detail, to be registered on the sensor. A distinct advantage in monochrome digital cameras is their ability to extract detail in very low light conditions, such as those present inside churches or monasteries. Another important advantage in using Leica monochrome digital cameras is their compact and noiseless design, lending themselves superbly to discreet photography in sensitive locations.  Digital Silver Imaging photo lab printed and mounted the photographs.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Alain C.J. de Lotbinière is a practicing neurosurgeon who lives in Connecticut, USA. The son of a Canadian diplomat, his early education was formed in several European countries: Holland, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, before returning to Canada to complete his medical training in the field of neurosurgery. Photography runs deep in the family; his father having given him his first camera on his fourteenth birthday. His GGG grandfather, Pierre Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, acquired one of the first daguerreotype cameras from the Parisian optician, Noël Paymal Lerebours, and set off to the Middle East in 1839 to make photographic records of the ancient monuments in Greece, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, several of which were published in 1842 as lithographs in Excursions Daguerriennes. Having just published a book based on his travels through medieval parts of Russia, de Lotbinère is currently working on a book focused on 19th-century travel to Egypt and its monuments.

Artist’s statement 

“My interest in photography began early in my life as a way to document the many countries I visited as a child. Over the years it has grown into something of an obsession, a need to touch and at the same time be touched by the impressions that surround me. To be sensitive to what the fleeting moment can bring, to receive an image and be able to capture its essence. To be still in an ever-changing world of shadows and light, this is the special challenge that photography holds for me,” says de Lotbinère.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF RUSSIAN ICONS

The Museum of Russian Icons, founded in 2006 by the American entrepreneur Gordon Lankton, holds the most comprehensive collection of Russian icons in the US, as well as a growing collection of Greek, Veneto-Cretan, and Ethiopian icons. Spanning over six centuries, the collection showcases the development of the icon from its Egyptian and Byzantine roots and explores the spread of Orthodoxy across cultures. The Museum serves as a place for contemplation and for experiencing the beauty and spirituality of icons. The permanent collection and temporary exhibitions offer unparalleled opportunities to situate Eastern Christian art within a global context and to explore its connection to contemporary concerns and ideas. The Museum’s Study Center stimulates object-based learning and multidisciplinary research and aims to share its research in the field of Eastern Christian art with wide audiences through an active slate of academic and public programs.

MUSEUM HOURS
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 10am-4pm. Closed Monday–Wednesday.

Admission: Adults $12, seniors (59+) $10, Students $5, Children (13-17) $5, Children under 13 Free.

Follow the Museum of Russian Icons on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Visit the website, www.museumofrussianicons.org, home of the online collection (including research papers on individual icons), a virtual tour of the Museum, the Journal of Icon Studies, and the British Museum’s Catalogue of Byzantine and Greek Icons.

 

 

Bob Ousterhout Celebration of Life

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Please see below for two ways to participate in a Celebration of Life of Bob Ousterhout on Saturday, September 9, 2023. Those who wish to attend in person should RSVP, and anyone who wishes to attend online can participate via zoom.

Bob Ousterhout Celebration of Life

Saturday, September 9, 2023 – 2:00pm to 5:00pm

Online participation:
https://upenn.zoom.us/j/99883566316?pwd=a0V5THlLRHVGMFd6bVBJNk84ODNzQT09

In-person participation:

Rainey Auditorium, Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. RSVP to Libby Saylor at esaylor@sas.upenn.edu by August 31, 2023

BSANA Annual Conference and Membership Drive

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Sent on behalf of BSANA President Lynn Jones:
The 49th annual Byzantine Studies Conference is fast approaching: October 26-29th! Please visit bsana.net to renew your membership, contribute to our general fund, support graduate student attendance, or help grow our Byzantinists of Color fund.
A reminder: If you are presenting a paper, your BSANA membership must be up to date. Renew or join now! Don’t forget to visit the conference website: Early Bird rates for registration ends Sept. 15; reduced rates for the Conference Hotel end Sept. 21. Sign up now!
We look forward to seeing you in Vancouver!

In Memoriam: Vera Zalesskaya (1938 – 2023)

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V.N. Zalesskaya, Dr. habil., was a leading researcher in The State Hermitage Museum’s Oriental Department and a curator of the collection of Byzantine Applied Art. She worked in the Hermitage for 62 years—from 1961 to 2023—first as a museum guide and then as a full-time postgraduate student. She entered the Oriental Department in 1965 as a researcher and was later a curator of the collection of Byzantine Applied Art (between 1984 and 2023). For several years she also held the post of Head of the Sector of Byzantium and the Near East.

Black and white photo of a woman wearing glasses and a patterned sweater.
Vera Zalesskaya

Vera Nikolaevna Zalesskaya was born on September 17, 1938 in the city of Morshansk, in the Tambov Region of Russia, to accomplished parents. Her father, Nikolai Nikolaevich Zalessky, was a historian and specialist in the history of Ancient Rome. He worked as a professor at Leningrad University. Her mother, Vera Vatslavovna Zalesskaya, was a doctor who worked at the Filatov Hospital in Leningrad.

Vera began her history education in 1956. After graduating from high school in Leningrad, she was accepted by the Faculty of History into Leningrad University where she received fundamental practical knowledge in the archeology of the Middle Ages. While studying there, she participated for four field seasons of work on the Galicia-Volyn architectural and archaeological expedition led by Professor Mikhail Karger.

Vera began her initial work with The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg after graduating from the Department of Art History in June of 1961 with honors granted by the Faculty of History of the Leningrad University (named after A.A. Zhdanov). She was then sent by the Ministry of Culture of the USSR to work in The State Hermitage Museum as a museum guide. In August of that year, she was enrolled as a contractor museum guide in the Hermitage Excursion Department.

After this experience, she was accepted as a full-time postgraduate student at the Oriental Department of The State Hermitage Museum in November 1962, specializing in the history of Byzantium. She successfully completed her postgraduate studies at The State Hermitage Museum in 1965. In May of 1965 she transferred from the Excursion Department to the Oriental Department of the Hermitage as a researcher. (Later, after the death of Alice Bank in 1984, she would become a curator of the collection of Byzantine Applied Art). Between 1962 and 1970, Vera prepared a dissertation titled, “Syrian Artistic Metal of the Byzantine Period and its Historical Significance (to the role of Syria in the applied art of Byzantium).” Vera Zalesskaya was awarded the degree of PhD in history by the decision of the Scholarly Council of the Faculty of History of the Leningrad University on December 10, 1970.

Beyond her PhD training, Dr. Zalesskaya’s career continued with additional advanced education and a number of publications. In 1997 she published a compact monograph, Applied Art of Byzantium of the 4th – 12th Centuries (including 59 pages, with 41 illustrations), which she also defended as a dissertation. She was awarded a Dr. habil. degree in 1998 by the Faculty of History of Moscow State University (which was named after M.V. Lomonosov).

In her career, Vera Zalesskaya was the author of numerous articles on the culture and art of Byzantium that were published in Russian scholarly journals, yearbooks, and collections of articles, as well as in English and French. These include several substantial catalogs published by The State Hermitage Museum. Monuments of Byzantine Applied Arts of the 4th– 7th Centuries: Catalog of the Hermitage Collection (271 pages with illustrations) was published in 2006. In 2011 she published Masterpieces of Byzantine Applied Art: Byzantine Ceramics of the 9th – 15th centuries: Catalog of the Collection (254 pages, including illustrations). Byzantine Artistic Metalwork, Ninth-Fifteenth Centuries: Catalog of the Collection (207 pages, with illustrations) was published in 2021.

From 1991 to 2022 Vera was a scholarly editor and co-editor of The State Hermitage Museum’s Proceedings on Byzantium, titled “Byzantium within the Context of World Culture.” From the 1970s onward she participated in the International Congresses of Byzantine Studies, presenting several papers. As a curator at the Hermitage, she took part in various exhibitions on Byzantine art in the Hermitage and other museums of the USSR/ Russia, as well as in museums of Europe and the USA. She was a co-curator of The Road to Byzantium: Luxury Arts of Antiquity, an exhibition at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, England in 2006.

On July 29, 2023, Dr. Vera Zalesskaya passed away after a brief illness. She is remembered by colleagues for her 62 years as a generous curator at the Hermitage and for her archaeological work at the medieval site at Chersonesos.

CFP: Belligerent Saints: Violence in Eastern Christian Hagiography

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Call for Papers: Belligerent Saints: Violence in Eastern Christian Hagiography (Session #5088) (ICMS Kalamazoo, May 9 – 11, 2024)
As the war in Ukraine has demonstrated, the lives of the saints, especially the Byzantine military saints, continue to be weaponized in favor of wars of conquest. While violence done to saints features prominently in the martyr accounts and is ubiquitous in hagiographic texts, some saints perpetrated acts of violence, whether against themselves, demons, or most-surprisingly, other people. The cults of the so-called military saints in Byzantium and their transmission have been the most thoroughly investigated; however, other saints and their engagement in violent acts remain relatively understudied. Exploring these neglected examples will help us to interrogate Christianity’s relationship to violence and to better understand how the cult of the saints contributed to social change in Byzantium.
We invite papers that explore questions about saints as enactors of violence. While we welcome submissions about military saints, we are especially interested in papers that examine lesser-known belligerent saints who have no cultic association with the military. In addition to studies based on individual vitae, we welcome contributions that explore hagiographical dossiers that appear in metaphrastic collections, synaxaria, menologia, as well as stories about saints appearing in historiographical sources and material. Proposals should explore themes of valorization of, witnessing of, and responses to violence as well as the conceptual boundaries between spiritual and physical violence. Proposals might consider against which groups saints commit violence and how these groups change according to time and place; whether individuals are targeted by saints; what kind of institutional or property damage is committed by saints; in what ways are acts of violence held up as exemplary. Outside of these possible topics, proposals on any topic related to violence and sanctity will be considered.
Please submit proposals to https://icms.confex.com/icms/2024/cfp.cgi by September 15, 2023.
In collaboration with our sponsors, we will make every effort to help defray the cost of attendance for presenters. If you have a question about this or anything else, contact Dan Berardino (daniel_berardino@berkeley.edu) and Nick Churik (nchurik@princeton.edu).

2023 BSC Preliminary Program and Session Chairs

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2023 Conference announcements:
The preliminary program for the 49th Annual Byzantine Studies Conference can now be downloaded via the BSANA Conference page. The conference will be held 26–29 October 2023 in Vancouver. Don’t forget to register for the conference, and be sure that your BSANA membership is up-to-date!
Call for chairs:
If you are interested in chairing a session (see the openings on the program, highlighted in yellow), please let 2023 Program Chair Brad Hostetler (hostetler1@kenyon.edu) know your preferred session(s) and he will add you to the official program.

H-Antiquity: Call for Editors and Advisory Board Members

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The H-Net platform has numerous networks and is a valuable tool for scholars to connect and in an open and friendly environment. However, as a Roman historian who was looking for ways to become more active on H-Net, I discovered that there are no networks for scholars of the ancient world. Consequently, I aim to establish a new H-Net Network, H-Antiquity, and am seeking review editors, a network co-editor, and advisory board members.

The proposed H-Antiquity network is for the study of all aspects of the global ancient world from the Paleolithic through Late Antiquity. Scholars of both transnational and local studies in a range of fields, including history, art history, archeology, and anthropology, are encouraged to engage in discussion forums, blogs, reviews, archive collections, and other aspects of the network, which we hope to establish within the coming months.

To submit a formal application for H-Antiquity, the network needs to have at least four dedicated members serving either as editors or advisory board members. Once the project is underway, we will ultimately be seeking a total of three review editors, one network co-editor, and three advisory board members.

Review editors commission and edit reviews of recent publications or other material of interest to network subscribers. Reviewers are provided with several in-depth guides and support from H-Net. H-Net handles all book ordering and mailing and provides professional copyediting for every review.

Network editors moderate all posts in the network’s moderation queue (other than book reviews) and develop diverse academic content, such as conference reports, blog series, or podcasts.

Advisory Board Members help set network policies within the bounds of H-Net’s guidelines, and mediate disputes concerning editorial decisions. Common responsibilities for board members include helping with recruitment, serving as discussants on the network’s comment feed, and helping editors design and implement new projects.

Applicants should have strong qualifications (advanced candidacy or Ph.D.) and be willing to commit to a two-year term. Editorial positions can be filled by scholars at any stage in their careers while advisory board members should be well-established scholars. Ideally, applicants will have editorial experience, a wide range of expertise on global antiquity, be engaged in interdisciplinary scholarship, and have a broad interpretation of global antiquity. Candidates with diverse characteristics, including people of color, LGBTQIA+, and first-generation scholars, are encouraged to apply.

If interested, please contact Sheena Finnigan though her H-Net Profile with a brief expression of your interest, qualifications, and a CV. Please specify which position you are applying for.

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