Conference: International Congress of Medieval Studies, May 8-10 2025. Kalamazoo, Michigan.

It has often been assumed that the idea of a “woman” remained largely static throughout the Middle Ages. Yet, even within the medieval patriarchal hegemony, ideas around womanhood and women’s role in society changed dramatically over time – and these changes garnered strong responses. This panel intends to highlight responses to changing perceptions of womanhood and gender in the medieval world. How do medieval reactions provide insight into these cultural shifts? How do the lived experiences of medieval women and the reactions of their contemporaries inform our understanding of women’s agency, gendered societal roles, and the definition of womanhood in the Middle Ages?

We do not wish to limit the topics to a single discourse, though we would like to encourage proposals which incorporate critical feminist theory and historiography. We welcome papers from a wide variety of methodologies and genres, including material, literary, spiritual, or religious histories. Papers might cover topics as diverse as satirical responses to changes in women’s status to manuscript evidence for reform in women’s monasteries. Additionally, the medieval responses discussed in this panel might come from a variety of perspectives, from both women and men, from institutions and individuals, or from those jubilantly embracing change and those disparaging it.

Submission is through the Confex website (https://icms.confex.com/icms/2025/paper/papers/index.cgi?sessionid=6000), and the submission deadline is September 15, 2024. For more information, email acrafto2@nd.edu