Conference taking place on October 5, 2013, at State University of Cortland, Cortland, New York
Richard III Foundation hosts conference to celebrate its 20th anniversary of fighting for its hero king
July 26, 2013 By
A major conference to be held later this year at Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, just a few miles from the battlefield on which King Richard III met his violent end, will mark the 20th anniversary of an organization that was formed in the monarch’s memory.
Happy 700th Birthday Boccaccio! Exhibition and conference mark anniversary of medieval author
July 10, 2013 By
Exhibit and conference are among the events marking the 700th birthday of one of the medieval world’s greatest writers, credited with establishing the European storytelling traditions we know today.
International Medieval Congress to look at pleasure in the Middle Ages
June 29, 2013 By
The world’s medievalists are at the University of Leeds as the 20th annual International Medieval Congress begins tomorrow.
The Calamitous Fourteenth Century in England: All Doom and Gloom?
May 28, 2013 By
This was a fantastic paper given at the Crown and Country in Late medieval England session at KZOO. There were only two papers but both were interesting and enjoyable. This paper delved into the history of science in late medieval England and examined why the fourteenth century, a time that is usually synonymous with doom and gloom, plague and uprising, wasn’t all that bad upon closer observation.
Civic and Religious Understanding of the Mentally Ill, Incompetent, and Disabled of Medieval England
May 20, 2013 By
This brief summary covered the fourth paper given at KZOO’s Mental Health in Non-medical Terms. It covered ways in which theologians, like Thomas Aquinas, tried to categorize mental disability. Aquinas also tried to prove that the mentally impaired were able to receive sacraments depending their lucidity and where they fit in his four categories. It was an interesting and enjoyable paper.
Mental Disability and Intellectual Impairment in the Middle Ages: Some Preliminary Research Findings
May 19, 2013 By
This interesting paper was one of the four given in the Mental Health in Non-medical Terms session at KZOO. It looked at philosophy, iconography and the way mental disability was viewed in the Middle Ages.
Going Mad in French: Royal Notaries and Charles V’s Translation Project
May 19, 2013 By
This was another interesting paper from the Mental Health in Non-medical Terms session at KZOO on notaries, and how crimes committed under “mental duress” were processed.
Infant Burials and Christianization: The View from East Central Europe
May 19, 2013 By
This was the second paper in the Early Medieval Europe I series given at KZOO and another fabulous archaeology paper. It contrasted infant grave sites in early converted medieval Poland and Anglo Saxon England.
Feasting with Early Medieval Chiefs: Locating Political Action through Environmental Archaeology
May 18, 2013 By
This excellent paper was the first given in the session on Early Medieval Europe. It looked at various archaeological excavations in Iceland and Denmark and the political role feasting played in pre-Christian Viking societies.
Louis the Pious and the Conversion of the Danes
May 17, 2013 By
This paper was part of a very interesting session on the Early Middle Ages. The papers covered Eastern European Infant Burial, the archaeology of medieval feasting and conversion. This paper contrasted the conversion policies of Charlemagne versus those of Louis the Pious.
Man Bites Dog: Alarming Effects of Medieval Animal Venom
May 16, 2013 By
This paper was part of a fantastic series on mental health and disability in the Middle Ages. It was very humorous. This paper examined various types of bites, the “medieval symptoms” and some cures. So if you don’t want to bark like a dog, or lash out at people with your teeth, read on…
Androgynes, Crossdressers, and Rebel Queens: Modern Representations of Medieval Women Warriors from Tolkien to Martin
May 15, 2013 By
This was another stellar paper given at the Tales after Tolkien session. It was an intriguing look at the women of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones and how each author portrays the mother and warrior characters of Galadriel/Cersi/Daenerys and Eowyn/Arya/Brienne. The paper examined the differences and problems posed by the portrayal of women in theses fantasy novels.
The Meaning of the Middle Ages: Fans, Authors, and Industry
May 15, 2013 By
This was a very enjoyable paper given on the topic of medievalism and the predominance of a European perspective in almost all fantasy literature. Young examined three authors who were moving away from the traditional telling of fantasy by subverting the typical pseudo-medieval narrative or by moving away from European cultures towards embracing Eastern, Aztec and other non-European worlds.
George R. R. Martin’s Quest for Realism in A Song of Ice and Fire
May 14, 2013 By
This was my last session of KZOO this year and it was the perfect way to end a great conference. This series was dedicated to examining medievalism in fantasy literature with the dominant topic being George R. R. Martin and Tolkien.
Are We Post-Queer? A Roundtable on the Present and Future of Queer Theory in Medieval Studies
May 14, 2013 By
This was part of an excellent panel discussion on the future Queer Theory, pedagogy, gender and the cross over between Queer Studies and politics.
Chivalry and Public Disorder in Thirteenth-Century Florence
May 13, 2013 By
The was the second of two fabulous papers given at the my first session on Medieval violence. Whereas the first paper in this series looked at violence in the university setting, this one tackled violence in an elite sphere – Florentine knights and their retinues.
Student Violence at the University of Oxford
May 9, 2013 By
My first foray of KZOO 2013 couldn’t have been off to a better start with, “I just don’t want to die without a few scars”: Medieval Fight Clubs, Masculine Identity, and Public (Dis)order. There were only two papers in this session and both were riveting. I felt like I couldn’t type fast enough to get it all in! The first paper was given by Professor Andrew Larsen of Marquette University. Professor Larsen published a book on high and late medieval student violence and the Saint Scholastica’s Day Riot at Oxford university.
Networking Scribes
May 5, 2013 By
This was the keynote paper given at the Celtic Studies Association of North America Annual Conference at the University of Toronto April 18 – 21, 2013.
Welsh Poetry and the War of the Roses
May 5, 2013 By
This is a brief summary of a paper on Welsh poetry, patronage and politics. It was given at the Celtic Studies Association of North America Annual Conference at the University of Toronto April 18 – 21, 2013.
‘Fromm thennes faste he gan avyse/This litel spot of erthe’: GIS and the General Prologue
May 2, 2013 By
This paper was given at the Canada Chaucer Seminar on April 27, 2013.
Call for Papers: Light in the Religions of the Book: A Multidisciplinary Approach
May 1, 2013 By
Upcoming Conference at the University of Balamand in Lebanon, December 13-15, 2013
Call for Papers: The Archaeology of Gatherings Conference
April 8, 2013 By
With 2013 being the year of ‘The Gathering’ this theme was chosen to examine why people over millennia have come together, often in large numbers, for religious assemblies, social interaction, to exchange commodities and ideas, along with other reasons such as farewells, wakes, political opposition, inaugurations etc.
Celtic Search Talk III: Irish Classical Studies and the Irish History of Troy
March 8, 2013 By
This was part of a series of papers given at the University of Toronto in competition for a position in the Celtic Studies department. This paper focused on the reception of literature and the reception of the classics in medieval Ireland.
Conference: ‘In the hands of God’s servants’ The Power of the Bishop in Western Europe (1000-1300)
February 13, 2013 By
Conference at Cardiff University, on 23-24 May 2013
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