International Medieval Congress (IMC) Leeds | 1 – 4 July 2024
In Memoriam Alheydis Plassmann (1969-2022)
Medieval Origines Gentium, c. 950 – c. 1250
Call for Papers, deadline – 13 September 2023
Where did people come from? Every generation imagined anew the origins of a people, their ancestry and origins. Inevitably, they were connected – no people could have origins of its own. We can trace a lively exchange of origin myths, of authors seeking to embrace – or distance themselves – from origin tales associated with neighbours, renewed efforts to locate a community’s wanderings and travails, to locate and specify what was unique about a community.
The period in question has the added advantage of covering both the world before, and the world since Geoffrey of Monmouth. Narrative of Trojan origins had a profound influence on the period – yet were they all there was? Older traditions resurfaced in the guise of Galfridian lore, for sure. But were traditions rewritten to meet new ends? How far did new mean Galfridian narrative paradigms?
These questions were also at the heart of the work of Alheydis Plassmann. In these sessions, we aim to honour this connection by drawing on her work to consider the current state of play, outline new approaches, and revisit established assumptions.
Please send a one-page CV together with a 150 word outline for a 20 minute paper to: bkw@aber.ac.uk
Organiser: Björn Weiler
Image: Wiki Commons
