Writing about a series of human-object relationships, Robin Bernstein employs the term “scriptive thing” to articulate how objects become things when they orient, choreograph, or compel human action. In one such case study, she analyzes a photograph of a woman posing with a racist caricature at the Hotel Exposition in New York’s Grand Central Palace, circa 1930. Using this photo, she further clarifies the nature of this particular subject-object relationship, stating that it is “neither an isolated woman and her ‘whys’ nor an isolated caricature and its textual ‘hows,’ but instead through a complex interaction between the two figures,” that the photo constructs race. Recent scholarship has embraced, and rightfully critiqued, the so-called ‘material turn’ in literary studies (See: Mukerji, Brillenburg Wurth, Plate, Todd). However, as demonstrated by Bernstein and the insightful work of many other material studies scholars, archivists, theater historians, and social anthropologists, the purview of the ‘scriptive thing’ extends far beyond literary studies alone (See: Bennett, Bryant, Sofer).

The media ecology of late medieval England proffers many such ‘scriptive things’ that produce historically located meanings. This panel invites presentations that examine meaningful subject-object relationships in the literary, visual, devotional, or material culture(s) of late medieval England. Possible theoretical frameworks and topics include (but are not limited to):

• Thing Theory

• New Materialisms

• Indigenous Ontologies & Decolonizing Posthumanist Critique 

• Archaeology of the Book and Manuscript Studies

• Technologies of Embodiment 

• Props & Costuming in Performance Contexts

• Object-Oriented Devotional Practices

Interdisciplinary approaches that also speak to critical race theory, queer studies, trans studies, disability studies, and critical Indigenous studies are especially welcome.

Please submit a 250-300 word abstract and a brief biography to Ryan A.M. Randle (rar348@cornell.edu) by Sunday, March 8th. Panelists will be notified of acceptance by March 16th and must be members of MLA in order to present. Session participants must be MLA members no later than April 7th to be listed in the Program.