International Medieval Congress, Leeds, UK, 1st-4th July 2019
The relationship between the Caucasus and the outside world has been deeply implicated in its cultural development and structures of authority from the Maikop Culture onwards. Just as outside empires sought to control the Caucasus, its peoples and strategic routes and resources, so indigenous Caucasian elites sought the favour of outsiders in their struggles for power. At the same time, the Caucasus maintained a distinctive set of cultural traditions. This tension between access to the outside world and indigenous ‘Caucasian civilisation’ has been a central theme of scholarship on the region.
In order to promote interdisciplinary dialogue on these issues, we propose to organise one or several panels at the International Medieval Studies- the world’s second-largest gathering of medieval scholars and the largest in Europe. We welcome papers from the disciplines of History, Art History, Archaeology, Medieval Studies, Literature or Historical Linguistics on the cultures of the Caucasus (broadly defined), its relationship with the surrounding areas, or outside attitudes to the region. In particular, we seek papers that can address the material culture aspects of these relationships, given the overall conference theme of ‘materiality’. Possible subjects may include, but are not limited to:
– material cultures of the Caucasus and its neighbours;
– economic, social or cultural connections within or beyond the Caucasus;
– the (un)importance of the outside world in the formation of Caucasian culture, society or identity;
– outsider perceptions of the Caucasus.
For further information, please see the full conference CFP at https://www.imc.leeds.ac.uk/imc2019/latecall-2/ and the conference website at https://www.imc.leeds.ac.uk/imc2019/. The current session title is ‘Caucasian Connections III: The Caucasus in Dialogue with Byzantium and Syria’, although it is possible to change this to reflect the content of new papers.
Expressions of interest should be sent to John Latham-Sprinkle at 580698@soas.ac.uk as soon as possible. Please send a paper title and a brief description of your proposed topic. Unfortunately, due to the lateness of this call, it will not be possible to provide travel funding.