CFP: [Medieval] The Siege of Jerusalem in Middle English (9/15/08; 5/7/09-5/10/09)

Panel at the 44th International Congress on Medieval Studies
Kalamazoo, Michigan / 7-10 May 2009

Until quite recently, the Middle English alliterative poem known as The Siege of Jerusalem has received surprisingly little critical attention. This poem survives in eight manuscripts (plus a fragment); moreover, the related couplet version of the same story, known as Titus and Vespasian, survives in thirteen manuscripts. Both of these survival rates attest to a remarkable degree of popularity. Only in the last sixteen years, however, has the alliterative Siege begun to receive the critical attention that its medieval popularity merits: The Siege forms the main focus of ten articles/book chapters and one monograph since 1992. Also, two editions of the poem have appeared since 2003. As Sheila Delany aptly notes, "The Siege of Jerusalem may be a text whose time has come."

Given the increased scholarly interest in this poem, it is time for a special session devoted to it. Thus, this panel aims to bring scholars who are currently working on The Siege of Jerusalem into discussion with one another. We are particularly interested in papers that address this poem in relation to late medieval anti-Judaism, the manuscript history of the poem, its Latin sources, or other poems of the Alliterative Revival. In addition to the alliterative Siege, we also welcome proposals on the wider Middle English narrative traditions related to 70 AD (e.g., Titus and Vespasian, the prose translation of Roger d'Argenteuil's Bible en François, or John Trevisa's translation of Ranulph Higden's Polychronicon).

Please submit abstracts of proposed papers (300 words), along with a completed participant information form (found at http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/submissions.html) to Alex Mueller (amuel001@plattsburgh.edu) by 15 September.


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Michael Johnston
Assistant Professor
Department of English, Purdue University
mjohnst@purdue.edu

Apologies for multiple listings.



Call for Papers



Urban Culture in Medieval France



44th International Congress on Medieval Studies Kalamazoo, Michigan May 7-10, 2009



The International Medieval Society Paris invites proposals for a session that will analyze _expressions of urban culture and the realities of everyday life in cities in medieval France. Recent scholarship has revolutionized the study of French cities (particularly Paris), demonstrating the complexity and vitality of these communities and the people who lived and worked in them. This session seeks to further these analyses and encourage comparisons among cities in northern and southern France during the medieval period.



Papers might address themes including the formation of urban identities; social and professional networks; religious and social practices in urban space; tension and cooperation between social status groups; gender relations; the roles of civic and royal authorities; representations of urban society in art and literature; and comparative studies of two or more cities.



The IMS-Paris is non-profit organization that seeks to promote academic exchange and promote interdisciplinary and international scholarship. The IMS-Paris highly encourages interdisciplinary submissions.



Proposals for a 20 minute paper should be submitted to Mark P. O'Tool at mpotool@gmail.com by Sept. 15, 2009.





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Mark P. O'Tool, Ph.D.

Lecturer

Department of History

California State Univ. East Bay

Department of Humanities

San Jose State University

mpotool@gmail.com





Please feel free to circulate!



GENDERING REPRESENTATION

(co-sponsored by the Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship and the Medieval Feminist Art History Project)

Organizer: Jennifer Borland



The 44th International Congress on Medieval Studies Kalamazoo, MI May 7-10, 2009



This session will investigate the gendering of the practice of representation in the Middle Ages, focusing in particular on the performance of gender through representation.



We welcome papers that engage with representation in a variety of formats, including visual, spatial, literary/textual, or historical representations. Contributions may deal with either the production and/or reception of representations, or consider representation from either individual or collective/corporate perspectives.

Interdisciplinarity is especially encouraged.



Please submit a one- to two-page abstract and coversheet to Jennifer Borland (jennifer.borland@okstate.edu) by September 15.