The Byzness, 7th March 2025
Oxford University Byzantine Society
THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY BYZANTINE SOCIETY
The Byzness, 7th March 2025
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1.
NEWS AND EVENTS
2. CALLS FOR PAPERS
3. JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
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Bit earlier this week, will be back to schedule next week.
1. NEWS AND EVENTS
‘Greek papyri in the Bodleian Library. A tale of lost texts and forgotten books’, Bodleian Seminar Series, Oxford
As part of the Bodleian’s Seminar series in palaeography and manuscript studies, Lucio del Corso (University of Salerno) will talk about Greek papyri in the Bodleian Library.
A tale of lost texts and forgotten books’ on Monday 10 March 2025, 14.15-15.45 in the Horton Room at the Weston Library. The talk is illustrated with a number of the original papyri and other manuscripts and documents from the Bodleian’s collections.
Attendance is free, no booking is needed, only a University of Oxford card or Bodleian reader card is required to gain access to the seminar room. If you do not have a card, please email c...@bodleian.ox.ac.uk at least 24 hours in advance to arrange access.
Summer School in Latin and Greek Codicology and Palaeography, CEU, Budapest
30 June – 4 July 2025
CEU’s summer School in Latin and Greek Codicology and Palaeography has extended its application deadline to March 17th.
For more information see their website here.
Why Such a Rare Species? The Byzantine Cartularies
The Byzantine Studies Lectures of the Institute of Historical Research (National Hellenic Research Foundation) continue on Monday March 17 with a hybrid lecture on:
Why Such a Rare Species? The Byzantine Cartularies - Olivier Delouis, Centre national de la recherche scientifique
18:00 EET
The lecture will be hosted by Princeton Athens Center: 3 Timarchou Str. 11634 Athens
Those who wish to attend in person must register by March 16 following this link: https://forms.gle/Pseau88P6PEPkTvs7
To join via Zoom please follow the link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_T16YaXcESEOStNLn59w5gg
2. CALLS FOR PAPERS
The ‘Other’ and ‘Empire’ in Christianity: Postcolonial Reading of Late Antique Literature
The workshop, entitled The ‘Other’ and ‘Empire’ in Christianity: Postcolonial Reading of Late Antique Literature, will be dedicated to postcolonial approaches to late antique literature; it will address the intersections of religious and ethnic identities and imperial sponsorship in the Christian sources of the Eastern Mediterranean. The workshop dates are December 16-17. The venue: Durham University, Department of Classics and Ancient History.
Organizers: Dr. Sofia Puchkova, Dr. Karl Dahm, Dr. Jacob Lollar, Prof. Francis Watson, and Prof. Alberto Rigolio
Keynote speaker: Prof. Marianne Moyaert (KU Leuven)
Early Christian communities formed around constructions of ‘orthodox’ identities which set them apart from the religious ‘Other,’ conveniently labelled as ‘Jews’, ‘pagans’, and ‘heretics’. Similar processes of ‘Othering’ underpinned the ‘civilised’ world of the Roman empire via shared cultural, linguistic, and ethnic markers – in opposition to its ‘barbarian’ neighbours. Since the reign of emperor Constantine, these two increasingly coalesced, encouraging the imperial sponsorship of Christian groups deemed ‘orthodox’ while curtailing the civic participation of those branded ‘heretical’. Many marginalised communities hailed from the fringes of the empire: Miaphysites from Coptic Egypt and the Syriac speaking provinces of the Near East, the Donatist hinterlands of Berber North Africa, or the ‘Arian’ Germanic tribes that had only recently crossed the borders. Despite being Christian, they were suspected of being ‘un-Roman’ not only because of their ‘heretical’ beliefs, but due to their way of life, language, and cultural practices. These aspects of intersectionality in the construction of the Christian ‘Other’ during late antiquity have so far received little attention and are ripe for further study. Drawing on recent scholarship on religious alterity and imperial ideology, this workshop will explore new, post-colonial approaches to the literary productions within these intersecting dynamics of ‘Othering,’ from the perspective of both the imperial centre and the marginalised fringes.
This workshop takes elements of postcolonial theory as a reading practice by addressing the questions similar to the following: what role does the imperial apparatus play in the discursive construction of ‘the Other’ both within political and religious discourse? In what ways did the imperial-sponsored Christian groups leverage their imperial support in the ‘Othering’ of marginal Christian groups? In what ways did marginal Christian groups leverage the imperial apparatus against rival religious groups? How do identity markers (e.g., ethnicity, confession, geographical location) affect the ways in which groups ‘othered’ their rivals and opponents? In what ways do marginalised groups (e.g., Miaphysites, Arians) reappropriate rejection and ‘othering’ imposed on them?
We especially invite abstracts (of 300-350 words) that engage with the Eastern Mediterranean world in Late Antiquity pertaining to these themes (but not limited to):
· ‘Othering’ of ‘heretics’ via ethnic markers, e.g. as ‘Jews’
· Intersection of religious identity and civic identities
· Constructions of ‘orthodox’ identities within multi-ethnic societies
· Intersectional discrimination in anti-‘heretical’ legislation and anti-‘Barbarian’ rhetoric
· Communal engagement with an ‘orthodox’ regime
· Creating and navigating foreign/domestic spaces of ‘orthodoxy’
· Experiences of not belonging to ‘orthodox’ communities
· Challenges to Greek and Latin as languages of ‘orthodoxy’
The call for papers is now open. The deadline for abstracts is May 1. Please, send your abstract and short bio to postcolre...@gmail.com
There is no conference registration fee. A limited number of stipends covering accommodation fees is available for Ph.D. students and early-career researchers without funding. Please, let us know if you need it.
Call for Papers: Minor Characters in Medieval History Writing, Oslo
In narratives, some characters invariably occupy more prominent roles than others. It would be almost impossible to narrate anything complicated if every single character received exactly the same amount of space in the story as every other. In medieval history writing, the unevenness with which attention, space, and importance are distributed throughout texts is strongly correlated with type. Emperors, kings, clergymen, and other elite men, tend to receive a greater proportion of narrative attention than labourers, women, eunuchs, slaves, soldiers, and foreigners. The narrative hierarchies of medieval historiographical corpora are often reflected in the modern historiographical narratives, which deploy them as source material. This remains true today, even after multiple waves of revisionist historiography have sought to decentre the lives and deeds of ‘great men’.
Although the composition of and hierarchies within historiographical casts of characters are of central importance to medieval history writing, it has rarely been delineated as the explicit object of analysis. This conference aims to bring different types of scholars and approaches to historiographical texts in the discussion of the casts of characters in medieval history writing. Particular emphasis will be placed on the types of characters which tend to be marginalised within historiography, medieval and modern, whilst acknowledging that such characters can only be studied within a wider systematic frame.
This call for papers invites contributions concerning specific medieval historiographical narratives, corpora, and minor characters from any medieval tradition. It also welcomes theoretical papers that draw on the narratology, the philosophy of history, or other critical traditions to think more systematically about minor characters in (medieval) historiographical narrative. Papers that combine both medieval and theoretical considerations and/or extend their contributions to consider the reception or transformation of minor characters in modern historiography are particularly welcome.
Questions and topics could include, but are in no way limited to:
- Which types of characters are prioritised and which are marginalised in specific narratives, corpora, and traditions?
- How do specific characterisations reinforce or subvert typological expectations concerning their narrative centrality or marginality?
- Comparison between the character systems and narrative hierarchies of different medieval historiographical traditions
- How can narrative theory change the study of medieval historiography? How does the study of medieval historiography challenge modernist narrative theories of character?
Short papers (c. 20 minutes) will be combined with roundtable discussions. The travel expenses and accommodation of participants will be covered by the project [pending final confirmation of funds].
Please send an abstract (max 300 words) and brief professional bio, including name and affiliation, (max 100 words) to matthew...@ifikk.uio.no by 17 April 2025.
51st Annual BSC Call for Papers
DEADLINE: May 2, 2025
The Fifty-First Annual Byzantine Studies Conference (BSC) will be held in Detroit, Michigan from Thursday, October 30 to Sunday, November 2, 2025. The Local Arrangements Chairs are Galina Tirnanic (Oakland University) and Leonidas Pittos (Wayne State University). This conference will be in-person only.
The Program Committee invites proposals for papers and thematic panels on all topics and in all disciplines related to Byzantine Studies, broadly construed. All proposals must be submitted via EasyChair, and must adhere to specific formatting requirements. Please note several changes to the abstract format this year, including a maximum length of 300 words.
To deliver your paper at the BSC, you must be a member of BSANA in good standing, enrolled in a graduate program at the time of submission, or hold a graduate degree. We encourage undergraduate attendance, but do not accept submissions from undergraduates. To join or renew your membership in BSANA, pay your dues according to your current status at: https://bsana.net/members/.
For instructions on how to submit a proposal visit the BSANA website here.
3. JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Connecting Histories: Manuscripts Research Opportunity, Princeton
Princeton is excited to announce a new research opportunity connected to the multi-year project, Connecting Histories: The Princeton and Mount Athos Legacy.
The position is for a one-month in-person stay in Princeton and focuses on manuscripts related to Mount Athos held by Princeton University Library. Generous funding for this position has been offered by the A.G. Leventis Foundation. The deadline is May 1, 2025.
For further details see here.
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Alexander Johnston
MPhil in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies
President, Oxford University Byzantine Society
http://oxfordbyzantinesociety.wordpress.com