Multilingual Dynamics of Medieval Literature in Western Europe
Utrecht University
21–23 September 2022
The medieval world was by no means monolingual. Languages flourished and grew, circulated and travelled across geo-political frontiers. This was true of vernacular languages and perhaps especially so for Latin, a cosmopolitan language par excellence. The multilingualism of the medieval world has been at the forefront of research agendas over the past decade across medieval studies. But what were the stakes and consequences of multilingualism for literary culture? And how do these change if we think of multilingualism through cultural, social, artistic, or material lenses? As part of the NWO-funded research project ‘The Multilingual Dynamics of the Literary Culture of Medieval Flanders, c. 1200- c. 1500’, we invite proposals for 20 minute papers addressing any aspect of medieval literature and literary culture. Papers should address not only what has been missed in previous scholarship, but also ask where the study of the multilingual in medieval literary culture should turn its attention in the future. Possible topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- court and urban communities and their language(s)
- administrative multilingualism
- monastic multilingualism
- commercial issues
- reception milieux
- genre and linguistic frontiers
- contact zones
We welcome proposals from scholars at all career stages—and from all disciplinary backgrounds. We particularly encourage applications by early career researchers. To this end, younger colleagues and those without permanent positions will be eligible to apply for financial support with the costs of accommodation and travel. At the time of publishing this Call, it is our intention to hold the conference in person in Utrecht. The working language will be English. Speakers may be invited after the conference to contribute to a book of essays, which we hope to publish in Open Access in early 2023. Proposals of no more than 250 words should be sent to the project team at multilingualdynamics@gmail.com by 1st April 2022.
For further information about the NWO ‘Multilingual Dynamics’ project at Utrecht University, visit: https://multilingualdynamics.sites.uu.nl/.
