13th and 14th July 2026, St John’s College, Durham University
With Keynotes by Dr Natalie Goodison (Durham), Dr Lisa Kattenberg (Amsterdam) and Professor Stuart Carroll (York)
The Medieval and Early Modern Student Association (MEMSA) is delighted to present their 20th anniversary conference entitled: ‘Connection, conversation, contention: encounters in the Medieval and Early Modern World’. Just as MEMSA is an association that connects different people, all kinds of connections took shape in the Medieval and Early Modern period through different means, such as the founding and spreading of major religions like Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. However, with connection also comes contention, such as the Arabic conquests, the crusades and the colonial conquests.
To investigate these interactions, the MEMSA conference committee invites postgraduates to send paper abstracts of 300 words. Some possible topics include, but are certainly not limited to:
- Intertextuality/inter-pictorial comparisons
- Adaptations across media
- Adaptation between the Medieval and Early Modern periods (eg. In text, music, visual culture)
- Reception of the Medieval and Early Modern periods (eg. in the modern era)
- Discovery of new places (eg the New World, an unknown physical landscape)
- Encountering the human or non-human Other
- Revolt
- Gender relations
- Relationship with the natural world
- Linguistic development in the Medieval and Early Modern period
- Spirituality, religion and/or associated tensions
- Political relations (eg. Between aristocracy and non-aristocracy, military and civilian populations, the role of monarchy)
- Community building endeavours
- Epistolary relationships
Submit your abstract via the following link or the QR code attached to the accompanying graphic by 9/3/2026:
20th annual MEMSA conference abstract submission – Fill in form
For questions and more information please contact memsa.conference@durham.ac.uk
We look forward to receiving your submissions!
