CALL FOR PAPERS:
45TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON MEDIEVAL STUDIES
MAY 13–16, 2010
WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY/ KALAMAZOO

MEARCSTAPA (Monsters: The Experimental Association for the Research of Cryptozoology through Scholarly Theory and Practical Application) is sponsoring two sessions at the 45th International Congress on Medieval Studies (May 13–16, 2010). The call for papers and the contact details for the second session are below. All abstracts will also be made available for viewing on the MEARCSTAPA blog (http://medievalmonsters.blogspot.com/).

2. Unexpected Monsters: Close Encounters of the Other Kind

"NARRATIVE IN DRAMA"

19th Annual Conference of the German Society for Contemporary Theatre and Drama in English (CDE)

University of Paderborn, Germany, 3 - 6 June 2010

The editors of /thirdspace: a journal of feminist theory and culture/ invite submissions for our forthcoming issue "Audacity of Hope?"

We are seeking submissions that critically engage with the notion of hope as it was used by a diverse assortment of constituents in the 2008 American presidential election. As a key theme in Barack Obama's campaign (and his book "Audacity of Hope"), the term evokes the possibility of transformational change. How does this version/vision of hope frame debates about gender and equity issues, struggles for equality and the recognition of difference? To what extent has the "hope" agenda impacted on politics, policy and popular media during Obama's presidency to date? This issue invites contributions that consider:

A conference for postgraduate students and early career researchers, hosted by the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Culture, University of Southampton

Chawton House Library, Hampshire, 16-17 February 2010

Keynote speaker: Dr Peter Beal FBA (Institute of English Studies, University of London)

This two-day conference will bring together postgraduate and early career researchers working on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English manuscript sources. Many of the sources from this period are multi-authored and contain strikingly disparate materials, posing a serious challenge to scholars working within traditionally defined disciplinary boundaries.

Canonicity is an increasingly embattled concept, and the lists of what texts are considered canonical for the medieval and early modern period are constantly growing. Despite this, every medievalist and early modernist can name at least three (and probably more) interesting or important texts that are considered non-canonical. This is not surprising. However open the canon seems, it is, by nature, exclusive and necessarily omits some texts. Many texts that have long been known to exist have, for one reason or another, simply not received the study that inclusion in the canon seems to require. Recently found texts, however significant they might be, face a similar obscurity and lack of attention.

Over the past two decades, medieval literary scholars have largely embraced the term 'vernacular theology' as an alternative to the previous term, 'devotional literature,' in order to describe the diverse array of English religious writings which sought to intellectually engage their readers in theological debates. This opposition between 'theology' and 'devotion,' however, creates a division between thought and affect that is not representative of the diversity of medieval religious writings. By questioning this division, this session will seek to contribute to the growing body of scholarship on medieval reading practices and to expand the ways in which we think about so-called 'devotional' reading.

Call for Papers: The Work of Terry Pratchett, SW/TX PCA/ACA

The 2010 Southwest/Texas Popular Culture/American Culture Association 30th Annual Conference, The Hyatt Regency Conference Hotel, Albuquerque, NM, February 10-13, 2010.

The Area Chairs of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Area would like to invite paper and panel proposals on the work of Terry Pratchett. This year our area will be honored with special events, films, guests, and presentations!
Please send queries, 250 word paper proposals, or 500 word panel proposals to

Ximena Gallardo
xgallardo@lagcc.cuny.edu