Nineteenth-Century Medievalisms (61st International Congress on Medieval Studies, May 14-16, 2026 in Kalamazoo)For this session, we seek proposals that acknowledge the broader concept of medievalism(s), which not only invokes the cultural and global dimensions of the Middle Ages but also includes traditional historical and philological critical approaches as well as creative, interpretive approaches. The session seeks presentations that examine how writers, historians, artists, and others in the British nineteenth century both research and uncover the Middle Ages as well as creatively imagine and reimagine it. Topics might include, but are not limited to, the following: Translation/Adaptation: How were medieval texts translated or adapted into new cultural (e.g., political) contexts? Reproductions of medieval texts in a variety of media? Issues of gender, social class, race/ethnicity, and empire in nineteenth century historical recounting and literary reimaginings of medievalism. Travel narratives of trips to medieval sites or cities (such as numerous Victorian travelogues) The collecting of medieval manuscripts, early printed works, and other material objects. Nineteenth century editorial practices and the style of editions of medieval texts We will publish the cfp on social media, the UPENN cfp website, the North American Victorian Studies Association (NAVSA) website. We will also reach out to participants in previous sessions and others working in nineteenth-century medievalisms Proposals might explore the factors, both nostalgic and cynical, in shaping nineteenth-century literature about the Middle Ages. What historical, social, and intellectual views shaped nineteenth-century approaches to the Middle Ages? How was nineteenth-century medievalism both a check against and validation of progress? In what ways were these views limited or biased based on what the Victorians knew and believed and did not know, particularly when compared to advances in historical, psychological, and political knowledge in the next centuries? How has nineteenth-century medievalism shaped adaptation and scholarship since?