Medieval on My Mind: The Past, Present, and Future of Manuscripts in the Deep South April 4–5, 2025, University of Georgia In 1723, James Oglethorpe, Georgia’s founder and first colonial governor, purchased an early sixteenth-century, three-volume French Bible historiale originally made in Paris for Louis XII. In October 2023, the Hargrett Library at the University of Georgia purchased a fifteenth-century French book of hours, bound in a sixteenth-century embroidered cover and accompanied by a beaded bag. This recent purchase prompts the need to reflect on three hundred years of collecting medieval objects—both manuscripts and art—in the American South, a region not known for its medieval holdings. Through the “Medieval on my Mind” symposium, we hope to gather regional medievalists as well as manuscript scholars from across the country to think together about the past, present, and future of medieval materiality in the South. The symposium addresses two related problems: first, the complex history of Southern medievalisms; second, the distinct challenges of doing medieval art history and manuscript studies in an under-resourced area that nevertheless participates in that legacy. Through this two-day symposium, we seek to answer: What distinguishes medieval collections in the South? What are their origins? How does the South’s long and complex interest in medievalism intersect with its acquisition of material objects? And how should our findings guide the research and teaching of manuscript and art historical studies in the sparse material landscape of the region now? The symposium will include keynotes from Jessica Brantley (Yale University), Scott Gwara (University of South Carolina), and Elizabeth Pastan (Emory University); presentations by Georgia and regional medievalists; and a community outreach event designed to survey local private manuscript holdings. This event is made possible through the generous support of the UGA English Department, the Special Collections Libraries, the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, and a Centennial Grant from the Medieval Academy of America.
