University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
March 7-9, 2019
The 94th Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy of America will take place in Philadelphia on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. The meeting is jointly hosted by the Medieval Academy of America, Bryn Mawr College, Delaware Valley Medieval Association, Haverford College, St. Joseph’s University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Villanova University.
The Global Turn in Medieval Studies
This year’s meeting spotlights the “global turn” in medieval studies, treating the Middle Ages as a broad historical and cultural phenomenon that encompasses the full extent of Europe as well as the Middle East, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The program will feature three plenary addresses:
David Wallace, President of the Medieval Academy of America; Judith Rodin Professor of English, University of Pennsylvania
Medieval Studies in Troubled Times: the 1930s
Nora Berend, Professor of European History, St. Catherine’s College, University of Cambridge
Interconnection and Separation: Medieval Perspectives on a Modern Problem
Father Columba Stewart, OSB, D. Phil, Executive Director, Hill Museum and Manuscript Library; Professor of Theology, St. John’s School of Theology and Seminary
The Global Middle Ages: Manuscripts, Monasticism, and the Illusion of Frontiers
Seventy concurrent sessions will represent a range of threads, including “Expanding Geographies of the Middle Ages,” “Approaches to Historiography,” “Interfaith Encounters: Real and Imagined,” “Gender Matters,” “Intersections Across Disciplines and Borders,” Digitizing the Global Middle Ages,” “Transmission and Technologies of Knowledge,” and cover topics addressing the natural world, the arts, material culture, literary studies, legal traditions, race and ethnicity in the global Middle Ages, to name a few. Roundtables, hands-on workshops, and lightning talks will highlight concepts and practices in K-12 education, diversity and race in the medieval studies, pedagogy and research in global medieval contexts, and practices and ethics of digital scholarship.
The University of Pennsylvania is centrally located in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia with easy access to the city’s many cultural institutions, historic sites, architectural landmarks, and lively Center City district (see https://www.visitphilly.com/ ). Evening receptions will be held at the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Friday) and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Saturday). Participants will be granted free access to both museums throughout the conference. A ticketed excursion to visit the medieval collections and architecture of the Glencairn Museum is being planned (details forthcoming). Free tours of medieval collections in the Rare Book Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Rosenbach Museum & Library will be scheduled for Thursday morning.
Registration will open and the program will be posted on December 15, 2018. The Sheraton Hotel-University City is the preferred hotel for the meeting. Reservations at the conference rate can be made here until February 3rd. For other area hotels and travel information, please visit this website. Penn discounts may apply upon request.
Please note the upcoming deadlines for travel bursaries and awards in conjunction with the Annual Meeting:
Student Bursaries: Graduate students who are members of the Medieval Academy of America and who have had their papers accepted for presentation at the 2019 meeting are eligible to apply for a Medieval Academy Annual Meeting Bursary of up to $500. The bursaries will be awarded to graduate students for papers judged meritorious by the local Program Committee, and one applicant will be awarded the prize for Best Student Paper. The application includes a biographical form and the completed paper. The deadline for applications is 31 December 2018. Click here to apply: https://www.medievalacademy.org/page/GradStudentBursaries.
Inclusivity and Diversity Travel Grant: Beginning in 2019, the Academy will present the annual Inclusivity and Diversity Travel Grant of $500 to one Annual Meeting participant presenting an accepted proposal on the study of inclusivity and diversity in the Middle Ages, broadly conceived. This Grant will be adjudicated by the Academy’s Inclusivity and Diversity Committee ( https://www.medievalacademy.org/page/IncluDiversityPrize), and preference will be given to student, junior, adjunct, or unaffiliated scholars. The deadline for applications is 31 December 2018. Click here to apply: https://www.medievalacademy.org/page/DiversityTravelGrant
Program Committee:
Lynn Ransom & Julia Verkholantsev, University of Pennsylvania (co-chairs)
Daud Ali, University of Pennsylvania
Chris Atwood, University of Pennsylvania
Kevin Brownlee, University of Pennsylvania
Mary Caldwell, University of Pennsylvania
Linda Chance, University of Pennsylvania
Paul M. Cobb, University of Pennsylvania
Catherine Conybeare, Bryn Mawr College
Talya Fishman, University of Pennsylvania
Fr. Allan Fitzgerald, Villanova University
Scott Francis, University of Pennsylvania
Nicholas Herman, University of Pennsylvania
Tom Izbicki, Rutgers University & Delaware Valley Medieval Association
Ada Kuskowski, University of Pennsylvania
Ann Matter, University of Pennsylvania
Maud McInerney, Haverford College
Paul Patterson, St. Joseph’s University
Montserrat Piera, Temple University
Dot Porter, University of Pennsylvania
Jerry Singerman, University of Pennsylvania Press
Emily Steiner, University of Pennsylvania
Eva del Soldato, University of Pennsylvania
Elly Truitt, Bryn Mawr College
David Wallace, University of Pennsylvania (ex officio as MAA president)
