Reconceptions of European Literary History, ICMS 2025
Welcoming submissions to 'Reconceptions of European Literary History' at ICMS Kalamazoo, 8-10 May 2025. This 2-part series will comprise of the following sessions:
I. How Do We Study Historical Text Traditions? (Paper Session)
Medieval and early-modern narratives travelled across languages, cultures, and material contexts, creating rich networks of textual transmission only fragments of which survive to the present day. This session calls for a reassessment of the methodologies by which historical texts are studied.Speakers are invited to explore new interdisciplinary approaches to Pan-European literature of the medieval and early modern periods. We are especially interested in contributions addressing widespread text traditions and/or the movement of narratives across linguistic and cultural borders. Examples include but are not limited to romances, chronicles, and hagiographies.
II. Methods, Tools, and New Foundations (A Roundtable)
This roundtable seeks to lay new foundations for how we approach Pan-European literature of the medieval and early modern periods. Our aim is to facilitate an interdisciplinary exchange of ideas about innovative methods and tools that may be productively employed to develop fresh insights into historical texts. We will also reflect on the potential challenges associated with a move away from traditional frameworks of analysis and explore ways of addressing those challenges. We welcome contributions that present proposals for and/or experiences of applying new methodologies to historical texts and text traditions.
Sponsor: Post-National Reconceptions of European Literary History (Post-REALM). PI: Miriam Edlich-Muth. Project funded by the European Research Council.
To submit, please upload your abstract (300 words), name, affiliation (if any), and contact information to the ICMS Confex. Links to the submission portal for each session may be found below:
I. Paper Session (ID 5846): https://icms.confex.com/icms/2025/paper/papers/index.cgi?sessionid=5846
II. Roundtable (ID 5847): https://icms.confex.com/icms/2025/round/papers/index.cgi?sessionid=5847