CFP: ‘Enemies’, Hortulus sponsored session, 20th International Medieval Congress in Leeds
We are pleased to announce the call for papers for the first ever Hortulus-sponsored session at the International Medieval Congress in Leeds (IMC) to be held 7-10 July 2014!
When exploring the medieval world, it is easy to locate various ‘Empires’ (both political and ideological) across time and space – forever rising and falling in an endless flux of power across the millennium that has been denoted ‘medieval’. Existing in tandem with these various imperial regimes are inevitable ‘enemies’ – detractors, dissenters, troublemakers and traitors.
We at Hortulus would like to explore the concept of these ‘enemies’ in relation to Empire – both those who are enemies of Empire and also those who must overcome enmity in service to Empire. The topic of ‘enemies’ was selected by popular vote by the Hortulus community of graduate students and will also be the theme of the 2014 issue of the journal.
The breadth of this session allows for interdisciplinary exchanges; we invite paper topics ranging from explorations of enemies in literature, history and art to more focused interpretations of the notion of enmity in the medieval period. We encourage submissions from many disciplinary angles, welcoming textual, artistic and historical interpretations from scholars of literature, history, philosophy, musicology, archaeology, art history and other fields. We especially encourage interdisciplinary work.
Some topics to be discussed but are by no means limited to:
- How was an enemy constructed? How are they perceived?
- How were enemies built or discussed at the imperial level?
- What about supernatural enemies, such as God’s displeasure, demons, or personified vices?
- What was the threat of enemies to Empires? How were they punished?
- How did changes and developments within empires alter or dismantle existing enmities?
Please email an abstract (approximately 250 words) for a 20-minute paper to Liz Mincin (leeds@hortulus-journal.com) by 16 September 2013. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to get in touch!
Hortulus 