First Annual Late Antique World Workshop (LAWW):
Stephen Mitchell’s A History of the Later Roman Empire Considered – Graduate Workshop (Poster)
Late Antiquity has for a long time been studied as a pivotal period in Western history. Cultural, social and religious transformations, fluctuating political roles, and tumultuous foreign relations, inter alia, have both shaped the importance of this field and ensured its growth as a discipline. In the last two decades fresh methodologies and increasing openness to developments in other disciplines, such as Religious Studies, have helped to redefine previous conceptions of core themes and develop new perspectives.
Recently, the Blackwell History series published Stephen Mitchell’s A History of the Later Roman Empire: AD 284-641, intended as a comprehensive, introductory survey of Late Antique Roman history. By now many professors and students of Late Antiquity have surely become familiar with this text and have used it, either as a textbook or an aid in research. Considering the broad range of topics discussed, the handling of primary source material, and knowledge of modern scholarship, this text promises to replace a number of previous introductory works on Late Antiquity in the classroom.
As such, this year’s workshop aims to achieve two main goals: first, to bring together specialists’ reviews of the topics discussed by Mitchell, in order to create a comprehensive critique of the text and supplement it to maximize its usefulness in a classroom setting; and second, to offer graduate students a forum, in which to present their own research on related topics, in order to gain presentation experience and create dialogue in a constructive peer environment.
Submissions are currently being sought for: (1) 10 minute reviews for each of the following chapters from Mitchell’s text, preferably by professors with a specialty in the particular content, who are willing to moderate the panel (graduate submissions will be considered):
- The Roman Empire from Diocletian to Alaric (Chap. 3)
- The Roman Empire of the Fifth and Sixth Centuries (Chap. 4)
- The RomanState (Chap. 5)
- The Barbarian Kingdoms (Chap. 6)
- From Pagan to Christian (Chap. 7)
- Conversion to Christianity and the Politics of Religious Identity (Chap. 8)
- The Political Economy of the Later Roman Empire (Chap. 9)
- Society and Economy in the Mediterranean and the Near East (Chap. 10)
- The Challenges of the Later Sixth Century (Chap. 11)
- The Final Reckoning of the Eastern Empire (Chap. 12)
(2) Graduate papers on topics in Late Antiquity and/or reviews of developing trends/methodologies in other disciplines that can benefit the study of Late Antiquity, using Mitchell’s text as a starting point;
(3) Graduate papers on topics that are absent from the text or scantily discussed by Mitchell, such as, apocryphal literature, Judaism in the Roman Empire, and Late Antique philosophy.
Papers should be no more than 20 minutes and will be followed by a plenary discussion period. Contributions are encouraged from Classics, Religious Studies, History and Philosophy, as well as from other related disciplines in the Humanities. Submissions from exemplary BA students, who are in their final year, will also be considered, with the written recommendation of a supervising professor.
Abstracts of 250 words (max) for presentations in English or French and offers for chapter reviews/panel moderations should be submitted no later than Sunday, August 17, 2008 and include the following information:
- Full name
- Title of paper
- Name of institution and department
- Current degree being sought or status
- Any audio-visual requirements or aids
Electronic submissions are preferred and can be sent to [email protected]. Paper submissions can be sent to:
Late Antique World Workshop
C/O The Department of Classics and Religious Studies
Arts Hall
70 Laurier Avenue East
Room 102
OttawaONCanadaK1N 6N5
There will be a registration fee of $15, payable upon arrival. Publication options are also being explored for the chapter reviews and selected presentations.
The workshop will be held at the University of Ottawa on the weekend of September 20-21, 2008 (specific locations details to be announced), in collaboration with the Ottawa Network for the Study of Late Antiquity. The keynote speaker will be Dr Hugh Elton from TrentUniversity, who is well known for his various archaeological investigations in southern Turkey and his work on the late Roman military. His recent publications include Warfare in the Roman Empire: A.D. 350-425 (Oxford, 1996) and contributions to D. Potter (ed.), The Blackwell Companion to the Roman Empire (London, 2006) and N. Lenski (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine (Cambridge, 2006).
Members of the Ottawa Network for the Study of Late Antiquity participating will be:
George Bevan – Queen’s University, Classics
Dominique Côté – University of Ottawa, Classics
Theodore de Bruyn – University of Ottawa, Religious Studies
Jitse Dijkstra – University of Ottawa, Classics
Hugh Elton – TrentUniversity, Classics
Geoffrey Greatrex – University of Ottawa, Classics
Pierluigi Piovanelli – University of Ottawa, Religious Studies
Karin Schlapbach – University of Ottawa, Classics