The University of Georgia and the Georgia Medieval Group invite regional medievalists and archivists to submit proposals for papers related to the study and experience of the medieval past in the US South. On Saturday 5 April – the traditional Georgia Medieval Group meeting day – we invite presentations from Georgia and regional medievalists that touch on any aspect of medieval objects and medieval reception in the South. The goal of this CFP is to encourage our regional colleagues to look home, to the places we live and teach, thinking about how our region participated, and continues to participate, in the interpretation of the medieval past. Where do we “find the medieval” in our region: In our archives and our art galleries? In local architecture and home decoration in our towns? In law codes or social customs? In entertainment (Medieval Times in Atlanta and the Renn Festival in Fairburn)? How do these vestiges of the Middle Ages shape our scholarship and teaching? We are hoping everyone interested will think creatively and flexibly about what it means to “do medieval studies” in the deep South. Possible topics include: Manuscripts or manuscript fragments in Georgia collections Medieval art in Georgia galleries Southern medievalisms Manuscript collecting Teaching with digitized manuscripts and artistic objects Southern libraries Rare book selling and best practices Medieval objects now in Georgia Neo-medieval architecture Popular medieval references Medieval inspired place names, sports teams, etc. To provide participants with flexibility in how they might approach this topic, we are also envisioning a wider array of presentation forms than typical of symposium. You may wish to give a 20-minute paper, a 5-8-minute lightening talk, or a show-and-tell style presentation on specific objects/issues. We also welcome papers that take other forms. Feel free to contact us with questions/ideas as they arise. Participants and attendees are welcome to come to both days of the symposium, or to attend the GMG portion on the Saturday only. There is no registration fee. Email your abstracts of about 250 words to Cynthia Tuner Camp, J.R. Mattison and J.D. Sargan by Friday, March 7, 2025 at ctcamp@uga.edu; jr.mattison@uga.edu; and James.Sargan@uga.edu
