Medieval History
As of Sept. 3:
SUBMISSIONS STILL SOUGHT
2010 International Medieval Congress at Kalamazoo
Seeking papers on any aspect of medieval or Renaissance simulacra, automata, or mirabilia, whether textual or material. Subjects that would be welcome would include aspects of mirabilia in Chaucer, Gower, and Lydgate, depictions of marvels in medieval romance, clocks and machines as metaphors, mechanical automata unmasked, the history of the Golem, the use of puppetry in medieval drama, folklore of living dolls or wooden toys, and any theoretical aspects of idols and images, simulations/simulacra, and ?thing theory? as applied to medieval studies.
Papers could also involve research into the history of science, Arabic studies, manuscript illumination, or other related fields, that touches upon the presence of simulacra as object or as metaphor.
Please send 250?500 word abstracts to [email protected] by September 15.
Full CFP
***
Puppets, marionettes, golems, androids, automata, moving statues, mannequins, shadow figures?sometimes comic, sometimes creepy, these figures of fun and fright engage us with their similarity, albeit grotesque, to ourselves. Recent researches into the field of medieval automata have convincingly established the the power of these living or life-like machines as both performing objects and as metaphor. They have featured as ?actors?, or performing objects, in legend, epic, chanson, and wonder tale; they also have served as metaphors for personal freedom or manipulation, for the presence of a human soul or its terrifying absence. As early as Plato, the image of the puppet on a string was used to suggest that delightful appearances were only a manifestation of a secret consciousness, that there was a marked division between animated matter and the soul itself, the anima. Such musings have been at or near the center of philosophy since, coming to life in medieval Jewish tales of the golem, through Descartes?s mind?body dualism, and continuing through the fascination with galvanic bio-energy, and Romantic and Gothic notions of immanence. Conversely, writers, dramatists, filmmakers, and sculptors have wondered at the possibility of animating lifeless matter. This image has been characterized in several ways, such as the modern figures of the wicked yet childlike Pinocchio, or in the grotesque and horrifying visage of Frankenstein?s monster. Medieval figures were equally powerful portents of occult magic and ?eastern? wisdom, as well as technological marvels. Underneath the awesome and God-like fascination with machines and dolls coming to life lies a terror at the likelihood of it going wrong.
I am seeking papers from scholars working on some aspect of these topics for presentation at a session to be held at the 2010 International Medieval Congress at Kalamazoo. Contributions are welcome from those working in literary history, the history of technology and science, archaeology, and religious history; those working in either Western European or Byzantine traditions, as well those exploring the confluence of the two cultures, as well as those working in the tradition of medieval Arabic scientific sources, are especially welcome. Please send 500-word abstracts, your current affiliation and status, and relevant contact information to Anthony Adams, [email protected]. Submit any queries to same address. Submissions from junior scholars and current graduate students welcome.
- Theearlymoderncolloquium At The University Of Michigan
TheEarlyModernColloquium at the University of Michiganinvites abstracts for papers for their interdisciplinary graduate student conferencePerformance and Materiality in Medieval and Early Modern Cultureat the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, March 11-12th,...
- ?travel In The World Of Arthur?
CFP, International Medieval Congress at Western Michigan University (?Kalamazoo?): May 12-15, 2011 (With apologies for cross-posting) ?Travel in the World of Arthur? The International Arthurian Society, North American Branch is hosting a session on Traveling...
- 7th Annual Symposium Of The International Medieval Society, Paris (ims)
TRANSLATIO 7th Annual Symposium of the International Medieval Society, Paris (IMS), In collaboration with the Laboratoire de médiévistique occidentale de Paris (LAMOP) 24-26 June 201o Université de Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne Keynote speakers: Rita...
- The Foreign, The Familiar, And The Fantastic In The Middle Ages
CALL FOR PAPERS 22nd Annual Medieval Studies Symposium March 26-27, 2010 Indiana University, Bloomington *Abstracts due February 2nd, 2010* The Foreign, the Familiar, and the Fantastic in the Middle Ages Traditional notions of the Middle Ages conceive...
- Call For Papers: Current Research Trends In Epic Studies
Call for papers -- please circulate: Société Rencesvals, American-Canadian Branch 2009 MLA Annual Convention Current Research Trends in Epic Studies The goal of this panel is to explore current ways of researching the romance epic. How do scholars...
Medieval History
medieval or Renaissance simulacra, automata, or mirabilia CFP
As of Sept. 3:
SUBMISSIONS STILL SOUGHT
2010 International Medieval Congress at Kalamazoo
Seeking papers on any aspect of medieval or Renaissance simulacra, automata, or mirabilia, whether textual or material. Subjects that would be welcome would include aspects of mirabilia in Chaucer, Gower, and Lydgate, depictions of marvels in medieval romance, clocks and machines as metaphors, mechanical automata unmasked, the history of the Golem, the use of puppetry in medieval drama, folklore of living dolls or wooden toys, and any theoretical aspects of idols and images, simulations/simulacra, and ?thing theory? as applied to medieval studies.
Papers could also involve research into the history of science, Arabic studies, manuscript illumination, or other related fields, that touches upon the presence of simulacra as object or as metaphor.
Please send 250?500 word abstracts to [email protected] by September 15.
Full CFP
***
Puppets, marionettes, golems, androids, automata, moving statues, mannequins, shadow figures?sometimes comic, sometimes creepy, these figures of fun and fright engage us with their similarity, albeit grotesque, to ourselves. Recent researches into the field of medieval automata have convincingly established the the power of these living or life-like machines as both performing objects and as metaphor. They have featured as ?actors?, or performing objects, in legend, epic, chanson, and wonder tale; they also have served as metaphors for personal freedom or manipulation, for the presence of a human soul or its terrifying absence. As early as Plato, the image of the puppet on a string was used to suggest that delightful appearances were only a manifestation of a secret consciousness, that there was a marked division between animated matter and the soul itself, the anima. Such musings have been at or near the center of philosophy since, coming to life in medieval Jewish tales of the golem, through Descartes?s mind?body dualism, and continuing through the fascination with galvanic bio-energy, and Romantic and Gothic notions of immanence. Conversely, writers, dramatists, filmmakers, and sculptors have wondered at the possibility of animating lifeless matter. This image has been characterized in several ways, such as the modern figures of the wicked yet childlike Pinocchio, or in the grotesque and horrifying visage of Frankenstein?s monster. Medieval figures were equally powerful portents of occult magic and ?eastern? wisdom, as well as technological marvels. Underneath the awesome and God-like fascination with machines and dolls coming to life lies a terror at the likelihood of it going wrong.
I am seeking papers from scholars working on some aspect of these topics for presentation at a session to be held at the 2010 International Medieval Congress at Kalamazoo. Contributions are welcome from those working in literary history, the history of technology and science, archaeology, and religious history; those working in either Western European or Byzantine traditions, as well those exploring the confluence of the two cultures, as well as those working in the tradition of medieval Arabic scientific sources, are especially welcome. Please send 500-word abstracts, your current affiliation and status, and relevant contact information to Anthony Adams, [email protected]. Submit any queries to same address. Submissions from junior scholars and current graduate students welcome.
- Theearlymoderncolloquium At The University Of Michigan
TheEarlyModernColloquium at the University of Michiganinvites abstracts for papers for their interdisciplinary graduate student conferencePerformance and Materiality in Medieval and Early Modern Cultureat the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, March 11-12th,...
- ?travel In The World Of Arthur?
CFP, International Medieval Congress at Western Michigan University (?Kalamazoo?): May 12-15, 2011 (With apologies for cross-posting) ?Travel in the World of Arthur? The International Arthurian Society, North American Branch is hosting a session on Traveling...
- 7th Annual Symposium Of The International Medieval Society, Paris (ims)
TRANSLATIO 7th Annual Symposium of the International Medieval Society, Paris (IMS), In collaboration with the Laboratoire de médiévistique occidentale de Paris (LAMOP) 24-26 June 201o Université de Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne Keynote speakers: Rita...
- The Foreign, The Familiar, And The Fantastic In The Middle Ages
CALL FOR PAPERS 22nd Annual Medieval Studies Symposium March 26-27, 2010 Indiana University, Bloomington *Abstracts due February 2nd, 2010* The Foreign, the Familiar, and the Fantastic in the Middle Ages Traditional notions of the Middle Ages conceive...
- Call For Papers: Current Research Trends In Epic Studies
Call for papers -- please circulate: Société Rencesvals, American-Canadian Branch 2009 MLA Annual Convention Current Research Trends in Epic Studies The goal of this panel is to explore current ways of researching the romance epic. How do scholars...