OxByzList: The Byzness, 26th October 2025
Oxford University Byzantine Society
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THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY BYZANTINE SOCIETY
The Byzness, 19th October 2025
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1. NEWS AND EVENTS
2. CALLS FOR PAPERS
3. JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
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For those wishing to submit an event, call for papers job or scholarship opportunity to the Byzness please send details to the committee at byzantin...@gmail.com indicating the relevant list for The Byzness our external to Oxford and year-round newsletter or The Byzantine Lists our Oxford-centered events and circulated only in term-time. Please keep the listing brief and include all relevant information in the body of the notice. Outside of exceptional circumstances, we only share events once.
1. NEWS AND EVENTS
Fith Annual Mathews Byzantine Lecture with Prof. Zachary Chitwood (in-person and via livestream): 'The Invention of Prayer for the Dead in the Byzantine Tradition'
Save the date for the Fifth Annual Mathews Byzantine Lecture with Prof. Zachary Chitwood (in-person and via livestream), on "The Invention of Prayer for the Dead in the Byzantine Tradition," Tuesday, October 20, 22025 from 5-6 pm. See below or online for more information and registration details.
The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture and the Mashtot Chair of Armenian Studies at Harvard University are pleased to announce the first lecture in the 2025–2026 East of Byzantium lecture series.
November 4, 2025 | 12:00 PM (EST, UTC -5) | Zoom
Creating Christian Sacred Spaces: The Armenian Case (4th–7th Centuries)
Nazénie Garibian, Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts Matenadaran & State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia
This lecture offers a case study on the creation of Christian sacred spaces in Armenia, from its official conversion at the beginning of the 4th century to the definitive establishment of Arab rule at the end of the 7th century, a complex and turbulent transitional period for all of Christendom, during which the gradual transformation of the religious landscape is carried out through the marking of both physical grounds and human minds, conceived as a single space of the Church. The lecture is structured around three main themes: the foundation of Armenian ecclesiastical institutions connected with the earliest Christian sanctuaries, the adoption in Armenia of sacred models originating from the Holy Land, particularly Jerusalem, and the development of major ecclesiastical complexes from the 4th to the 7th centuries, which served as the household and see of the Catholicoi of Armenia. Three selected examples – Ashtishat, Dvin, and Zvartnots – will be analyzed within the framework of a new urban concept: the ‘church-city’.
Nazénie Garibian is head of the Medieval Art Studies Department at the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts Matenadaran and Professor at the State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia. Dr. Garibian specializes in the early Christian and early modern periods of Armenian and Caucasian history, art, and culture. Her research focuses primarily on the comparative analysis of written sources and the material heritage of architectural monuments and works of art, considered within the broader political, cultural, and religious context of their time. She has two books forthcoming in 2025 and 2026: one dedicated to the construction of Christian identity in Armenia, and the other, a collective monograph, devoted to the history and architecture of the seventh-century ecclesiastical complex of Zvartnots.
Advance registration required. Register: https://eastofbyzantium.org/upcoming-events/
Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjc...@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture with any questions.
Institute for the History of Ancient Civilizations (IHAC) at the Northeast Normal University in Changchun, China
Ninth International Byzantine Seminar Lecture Series (2025)
“Byzantium and the Steppe”
presented in collaboration with the Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies at the University of Cologne and the Department of Historical and Classical Studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim
1. Prof. Aleksander Paroń, Institute for History of Material Culture PAN
Title: " Nomadic Neighbors and Imperial Strategy: The Pechenegs in Byzantine Foreign Policy" 4th, November, 2025, 15:30-17:00 (China), 8:30-10:00 (CET)
2. Dr. Szabolcs Polgar, University of Szeged
Title: “The Western Eurasian Steppe between Byzantium and the Caliphate” 25th, November, 2025, 15:30-17:00 (China), 8:30-10:00 (CET)
3. Prof. Constantin Zuckerman, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes
Title: “The Conversion of the Khazars” 2nd, December, 2025, 15:30-17:00 (China), 8:30-10:00 (CET)
4. Dr. Salvatore Liccardo, Austrian Academy of Sciences
Title: “At the Edge of the Endless Steppe: Integrating Genetic, Archaeological, and Historical Perspectives on Eurasian Nomads in the Early Medieval Pannonian Basin”
9th, December, 2025, 15:30-17:00 (China), 8:30-10:00 (CET)
Lectures will be held online via Zoom. Registration is free but required. The Zoom link will be provided upon registration. For registration, contact : liq...@hotmail.com
2. CALLS FOR PAPERS
Call for Papers: Politics, Spatial Dynamics, and Emotions in Late Medieval ‘Mediterranean Romances’: Western European, Byzantine and Islamic Literary Narratives in Historical Perspective
Panel sessions in the context of the Society for the Medieval Mediterranean’s
international conference: “Small Worlds, Big Worlds: Medieval Mediterranean
Perspectives” , Instituto de Estudos Medievais (IEM) – NOVA, FCSH, Lisbon, 22-26.6.2025
The protean character of the medieval romances, which were transformed to adapt to different political and social environments and to meet the expectations and anxieties of various social groups, has emerged as an important field for studying the social imaginary of the communities in which the production of romances was embedded. This social imaginary comprises the set of ideas, values, symbols and narratives through which these communities understood their world and interpreted their own place within it, while also delineating their horizons of expectations for the future. The panel sessions focus on romances written between the 13th and the late 15th century, whose narratives unfold in Mediterranean settings. Our approach is historically grounded but interdisciplinary, drawing on literary criticism and the social sciences. We are particularly interested in how these romances reflect and shape perceptions of political, cultural, and emotional geographies. The focus will be on the role of the Mediterranean within the narratives and, in turn, its impact on the readers’ social imaginary, highlighting the interplay between the “big Mediterranean” and the “small worlds” of ethno-cultural communities.
We seek to examine the influence of contemporary politics on the production of romances, and how these texts, in turn, shaped perceptions of and responses to the transformations of the Late Middle Ages. These transformations included the Ottoman expansion; shifting balances of power in both the eastern and western Mediterranean, where, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula, Muslim states were in retreat; the decline of the Byzantine Empire; the redefinition of Latin colonial ambitions; and the rise of humanism and early Renaissance culture. A further objective is to examine how various reading communities, such as aristocrats, members of political and economic elites, and the urban middle strata, understood their socio-political environment, shaped their cultural perceptions, and developed strategies to address the challenges posed by these transformations.
Special attention will be given to the role of space and emotions as structuring elements of romance narratives and as key categories for understanding social imaginaries. Emotions are bound to the experience of space, and both participate in shaping political, social, and gendered hierarchies. Representations of boundaries, liminality, public and private domains, and familiar or foreign spaces, as well as emotional responses to them, invite dialogue with fields such as postcolonial and gender studies. We welcome case studies dealing with late medieval ‘Mediterranean romances’ from all parts of the Latin West, Byzantium, and Islamic world, including those adopting a comparative perspective. Through such case studies, the sessions aim to explore questions such as:
The role of contemporary politics in the emergence of ‘Mediterranean romances’
How romances shaped social imaginaries and contributed to the formation or redefinition of communities
Responses of Latin, Byzantine and Muslim groups to the political and cultural shifts of the period
The construction of idealized chivalric worlds and their role in inventing the “Middle Ages”
Orientalist views of the Muslim Other and Muslim perspectives on the West and Europe, examining how these interactions shaped spatial categories such as West, East, and Europe
The influence of early Renaissance ethnographic discourses and geographical imaginaries on romance production
The development of colonial discourses in response to Latin expansion in the eastern Mediterranean
Representations of space (public/private, gendered, familiar/foreign) and their emotional codes in Western, Byzantine and Islamic contexts.
We intend to publish the contributions to the panel sessions, either as a stand-alone volume or within a relevant academic journal.
Those interested in participating are invited to submit a title, a brief abstract (approx. 150 words), and a short CV (approx. 150 words) by 25 November 2025 to the session organizers:
Eleni Tounta (Professor of Medieval History - Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) –
Ioannis Smarnakis (Assistant Professor of Byzantine History - University of the
Aegean) – ismar...@sa.aegean.gr
CFP: Mediterranean Folklore and Cultural Memories (6 & 7 June: Alghero)
CFP: 6th Mediterranean Studies Symposium (DUE 1 NOV 2025)
Mediterranean Folklore and Cultural Memories
The Mediterranean is entrenched with myths and legends that recount and “explain” the heritage of the region and shape local culture and daily life from the Odyssey to Metamorphosis, from One Thousand and One Nights to various epic tales of gods, heroes, monsters and “wise” characters that seem to change name but not role, across many countries throughout the region. Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, which hosts our upcoming symposium, is no exception. With its mythology rooted in the Nuragic civilization and fairy-like beings like the Janas and beast-like figures like the Cogas, the island is a treasure trove of tales, which are clearly reflected in the culture of the place. It is suggested that the island’s name itself derives from its mythological hero Sardus Pater. Nobel Prize winning Sardinian author Grazia Deledda confirms the intrinsic presence of outwardly creatures in this breathtaking part of the region:
"The moon rose before him, and evening voices told him the day had ended: a cuckoo's rhythmical cry, the early crickets' chirping, a bird calling; the reeds sighing and the ever more distant voice of the river; but most of all a breathing, a mysterious panting that seemed to come from the earth itself. Yes, man's working day was done, but the fantastic life of elves, fairies, wandering spirits was beginning." (Reeds in the Wind, 1913)
We are seeking papers on any topic related to folklore or folklore studies, paying particular attention to the interplay between tradition, memory and imagination, including but not limited to the following: folklore and popular culture, folklore and media, folklore and art, folklore and religion, folklore and gender, folklore and children, folklore and identity, folklore and storytelling, folklore and trauma/trauma studies, folklore and memory/memory studies. Any historical period of reference is welcome. Presentations of recently published books on the Mediterranean are also welcome IF related to this year’s topic.
This symposium will take place June 6th and June 7th, 2026, in Quarté Sayàl, located in Alghero, Sardinia. The complex is situated in Via Garibaldi, 10 meters from the beach and a stone's throw from the center of the oldest part of town. Its schedule will consist of educational and cultural activities alongside presentations, lively discussions and group meals. The official language is English, even though each session’s Q/A may be conducted in the language most comfortable for all parties involved. Since the organizers would like to create an informal and conducive atmosphere of dialogue and brainstorming, the number of proposals accepted is restricted.
PRICING Symposium Fee is 180€ for faculty members; 95€ for graduate students and includes (full face-to-face participation):
• Program instruction and materials;
• Symposium facilities with staff support and coffee breaks;
• Educational and cultural activities;
• Welcome reception and closing dinner.
Send 250-word abstract along with a title and a 50-word bio to Drs. Rosario Pollicino (poll...@mailbox.sc.edu) and Giovanna Summerfield (sum...@auburn.edu) by Nov 1, 2025. Upon the end of the symposium, selected essays will be invited for publication in English
3. JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
ASCSA Summer Travel-Study Programs for Summer 2026
Apply: Predoctoral Research Residencies(La Capraia, Naples)
Center for the Art and Architectural History of Port Cities “La Capraia,” Naples
Call for Applications: 2026-2027 Research Residencies
Founded in 2018, the Center for the Art and Architectural History of Port Cities “La Capraia” (Centro per la Storia dell’Arte e dell’Architettura delle Città Portuali “La Capraia”) is a collaboration between the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History at the University of Texas at Dallas, Franklin University Switzerland, and the Amici di Capodimonte.
Housed in “La Capraia,” a rustic eighteenth-century agricultural building at the heart of the Bosco di Capodimonte, the Center engages the Museo di Capodimonte and the city of Naples as a laboratory for new research in the cultural histories of port cities and the mobilities of artworks, people, technologies, and ideas. Global in scope, research at La Capraia is grounded in direct study of objects, sites, collections, and archives in Naples and southern Italy. Through site-based seminars and conferences, collaborative projects with partner institutions, and research residencies for graduate students, La Capraia fosters research on Naples and southern Italy as a site of cultural encounter, exchange, and transformation, and cultivates a network of scholars working at the intersection of the global and the local. The Advisory Committee of the Center for the Art and Architectural History of Port Cities “La Capraia” invites applications for 2026-2027 Research Residencies for PhD students carrying out research for their dissertations. Projects, which may be interdisciplinary, may focus on art and architectural history, archaeology, histories of collecting, technical art history, cultural heritage, the digital humanities, music history, or related fields, from antiquity to the present. Projects should address the cultural histories of Naples and southern Italy as a center of exchange, encounter, and transformation, and, importantly, make meaningful use of local research materials including artworks, sites, archives, and libraries. We welcome applications for projects that engage with histories of the collections and grounds of Capodimonte, and/or artworks and monuments held there. Projects in the earlier phases of research are preferred.
This coming academic year, Research Residencies will run from 8 September 2026 through 7 June 2027. Research Residents are granted free lodging at La Capraia (private bedroom/study/bath and communal study/living/kitchen spaces) and a modest stipend of 7,000 EUR, administered by the Amici di Capodimonte, to help defray the cost of living. During their time in Naples, Research Residents are expected to work on their projects full time and in residence, and to participate in scholarly programs that La Capraia organizes over the course of the year. La Capraia advises Research Residents on access to collections, sites, archives, and libraries as needed for their projects; at Capodimonte, we arrange access to collections and research resources insofar as possible during the museum’s current renovation. In the spring semester, Research Residents are expected to present their research in an informal seminar, gallery talk, or site visit. In the summer following the residency period, Research Residents are invited to contribute a short essay to the Center’s annual research report.
Residents are responsible for obtaining appropriate visas (the Center provides official letters of support) and for providing proof of health insurance. Residents must arrange their own travel to and from Naples.
We welcome applications from doctoral students of any nationality, preferably in the earlier stages of research for the dissertation. Applicants are invited to submit a letter of interest, a CV, and a research proposal of c. 1,500 words. The research proposal should frame the central questions, methods, and scholarly contributions of project, situate the project within existing scholarship, and provide a plan of work for the academic year, indicating the resources that will be used while on site in and around Naples. Materials should be sent in a single PDF file (with last name as the title of the file) to Center Coordinator, Dott.ssa Francesca Santamaria (francesca....@utdallas.edu). In addition, applicants must invite three recommenders to send confidential letters of support directly to the same email address. All materials, including letters of recommendation, are due by January 31, 2026. Finalists will be invited to interviews held via Zoom with representatives from the O’Donnell Institute and Capodimonte.
Learn more about the Center for the Art and Architectural History of Port Cities “La Capraia” at https://arthistory.utdallas.edu/port-cities/. Download an overview of La Capraia at https://tinyurl.com/La-Capraia-overview. Read past editions of our annual research report at https://arthistory.utdallas.edu/port-cities/publications/. Learn about past Research Residents at https://arthistory.utdallas.edu/port-cities/residencies/. View past and upcoming scholarly programs at https://arthistory.utdallas.edu/port-cities/programs/.
Download a PDF of this Call here: https://utdallas.box.com/v/LaCapraiaCall2026-2027
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Madeleine Duperouzel
DPhil in History
President, Oxford University Byzantine Society
http://oxfordbyzantinesociety.wordpress.com