Global Medievalisms
As the global media phenomenon called Game of Thrones ends (or will it?), the foundations and futures of what we refer to as the Middle Ages have come under increased scrutiny. Questions of affect, gender, nationalism, race, and religion, even if starting small and locally, can quickly reach regional, national, and global audiences, just as global, national, and regional matters can quickly impact local discussions. In addition, the roles of those engaged in studying and teaching the reception of medieval culture in postmedieval times are changing, perhaps demanding more public outreach. And the boundaries between ‘amateurs’ and ‘specialists’ are increasingly called into question as large scale access to the Digital Plenitude blurs the traditional distinctions between academic and non-academic research and scholarship. Aware of these complex developments, this year’s conference intends to bring together world-wide perspectives and perhaps suggest a toolkit of practices we can employ to bring to bear our experience on the manifold new and old instantiations of medievalism. We will also hold a number of ISSM organizational meetings and workshops (TBD).