Gender and Class in Byzantine Society

Gender and Class in Byzantine Society: XVIth Biennial Conference of the
Australian Association for Byzantine Studies

16-18 April 2010, University of New England

Call for Papers and Registration Open

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~byzaus/conferences/16th2010/

The Australian Association for Byzantine Studies calls for papers for its
XVIth Biennial Conference. The conference is being held in honour of
Professor John Melville-Jones and the theme will be 'Gender and Class in
Byzantine Society'.

Plenary speakers:

Dr Tom Brown, Reader, School of History, Classics and Archaeology, The
University of Edinburgh
Professor John Melville-Jones, Classics and Ancient History, University of
Western Australia
Dr Shaun Tougher, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History, Cardiff University (to
be confirmed)

Gender and class were key social indicators in Byzantine society, as in many
others. However, masculine and feminine roles were not always clearly
defined, while eunuchs made up a 'third gender'. Social status was also in a
state of flux, as much linked to patronage networks as to wealth, as the
Empire came under a series of external and internal pressures. This fluidity
applied in ecclesiastical as much as in secular spheres. We welcome papers
on all aspects of the theme of gender and/or class from the 4th to the 15th
centuries, from the Greek East to the westernmost reaches of the Byzantine
Empire.

Contributors are invited to interpret the theme broadly and we welcome
submissions from all fields. Both scholars with academic affiliation and
working independently, as well as postgraduate students, are encouraged to
apply.

Registration is now open.

The Conference will be held 16-18 April 2010 at the University of New
England in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.

Further details including registration, conference location and
accommodation options are available on the conference web site.

Please submit abstracts of up to 500 words in length to:
Associate Professor Lynda Garland
School of Humanities
University of New England
Armidale
New South Wales 2351
tel +61 2 6773 3236
fax +61 2 6773 3520
headshum@une.edu.au