International Medieval Congress
University of Leeds, UK
July 1-4, 2019

Session Organizers
Diane Reilly, Indiana University
Sigrid Danielson, Grand Valley State University

Sponsoring Organization
EPISCOPUS: Society for the Study of Bishops and the Secular Clergy in the Middle Ages, http://www.episcopus.org

The Things They Carried: Bishops and their Objects
Organizers invite paper proposals that examine any aspect of the role of objects as bearers of meaning for the medieval episcopacy and secular clergy. Portable items writ large, such as rings, staffs, gems, combs, manuscripts, garments, shoes, reliquaries, documents, and gifts were essential to the performance of one’s clerical identity. How did these “tools of the trade” become emblematic of, challenge, and embody the individuals who owned or bestowed them? In what ways did the intersection of clerical arts with the contexts of late antique, Orthodox, or Roman religious practice forge meaning? Recent methodological perspectives and submissions that address the topic from geographically and culturally broad outlooks are encouraged! We welcome paper topics ranging from late antiquity to late medieval.

Please direct questions to the session organizers. Proposals should be submitted to Diane Reilly dreilly@indiana.edu and Sigrid Danielson danielsi@gvsu.edu by Sept. 15, 2018.