This year’s theme for the International Medieval Congress, “Empire,” provides an apt opportunity to explore the ways in which the networks of the Western Mediterranean reflected, furthered, eluded or connected the many powers in the region: the Angevin, German and Aragonese regional powers, the ‘trade empires’ of Venice, Pisa and Genoa, religious orders, and the long reach of the papacy.
This call for papers seeks to build on the increased interest in the function of networks and local or regional connections among different cultural and political groups in the Western Mediterranean, bringing together scholars whose work explores cultural, political, economic, artistic and religious networks within and/or among the powers of the Western Mediterranean (the Italian and Iberian peninsulas, northern Africa, southern France and assorted islands). For these purposes, ‘network’ is loosely defined, and papers need not focus on regional networks, but may consider networks, organizations, groups, relationships and ‘causes’ at the local level as well. Papers in this session or strand may explore these issues through a variety of approaches, examining the function, idea or methodology of studying networks, change in networks and their constituent parts over time, and the effect of local or long-distance networks.
Please email abstracts of 250-300 words to Emily.E.Graham@okstate.edu by midnight on Wednesday, September 18. Details of the IMC Leeds conference may be found at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/ims/imc/imc2014_call.html
Some funding is available to help with registration, housing and meal cost for students, independent scholars, pensioners and delegates from Central and Eastern Europe. Bursary applications are due on 15 October: further information is available through the conference link above.
