The Second Conference of the Society for the Study of Medieval Emotions: ‘Emotion and Politics in the Medieval World’
26 – 27 June 2025 | University of St. Andrews
Call for Papers, deadline – 31 January 2025
As the pioneering scholarship of Gerd Althoff has demonstrated, emotions possessed communicative potential in the Middle Ages and, as key ingredients in the ‘rules of the game’ (Spielregeln), were central to the negotiation and renegotiation of political relationships. Regardless of whether one subscribes to the view that such emotional demonstrations were ritualised, Stephen White and Richard Barton have clearly elucidated several emotional scripts or sequences that underpin the articulation of power in medieval historical narratives. Royal wrath, ira regis, has proven a particularly popular topic among medievalists and continues to dominate discussions of emotions in medieval politics, while regional case studies, such as Laurent Smagghe’s Les émotions du prince (Paris, 2012), have revealed the wider repertoire of emotions and emotional performances tied to medieval rulership.
With the aim of achieving a more holistic understanding of the place and function of emotions in medieval political cultures, ‘Emotion and Politics in the Medieval World’ has been selected as the key thematic strand of The Second Conference of the Society for the Study of Medieval Emotions (SSME), which will take place in-person at the University of St Andrews on Thursday 26–Friday 27 June 2025. We welcome proposals on any topic relating to the emotions of the Middle Ages (500–1500 CE), focusing on any geographic location, although preference will be given to papers that directly align with the thematic strand.
Please send proposals for twenty-minute papers (to be delivered in English), including a title, abstract of c.150 words, and a short bio, to socmedievalemotions@gmail.com by Friday 31 January 2025.
The conference will end with a workshop to discuss and determine future directions in the study of medieval emotions and the wider field of the history of emotions – a key aim of SSME.
If you would like any further information, please contact the conference organisers, Dr Ana Del Campo (St Andrews), Dr Hailey O’Harrow (St Andrews), and Dr Stephen Spencer (Northeastern University London), via the email address above.