{"id":770,"date":"2026-06-11T16:07:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T16:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medievalisms.org\/conferences\/?page_id=770"},"modified":"2026-06-11T19:00:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T19:00:34","slug":"call-for-proposals-2026","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/medievalisms.org\/conferences\/","title":{"rendered":"Call for Proposals (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"
In 1996, Carl Sagan warned us of a time when people would lose their ability to question, “when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few . . . when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what’s true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.” Maybe Mr Sagan was somewhat pessimistic when writing The Demon-Haunted World. But then again, in times of conspiracy theories, Ancient Aliens, Antivaxxers, and Holocaust Deniers, the Age of Information appears just as capable of spreading dangerous frauds and charlatans as it is of disseminating reliable scholarship.<\/p>\n
Now we witness a Minister of War, an evangelical, tattooed with the medieval crusader motto “Deus vult”, calling for an American Crusade. In another country, we see the memory of the Knights Templar invoked again and again as a founding myth to justify a quasi-manifest destiny. And all over the world, the achievements of our predecessors are often discarded as impossible, explained as the works of aliens, supernatural forces, or ancient lost (often white) civilisations, disregarding the works of historians, archaeologists, and other researchers. The past is ripe for conspiracies, and the Middle Ages are a particularly fruitful part of it.<\/p>\n
The Studies of Medievalisms, often in dialogue with disciplines like Literature, History, Cultural Studies, and others, may not always identify itself as a hard Science. Nevertheless, it is still an academic field with its own methodologies, structures, and rigour. Faced with this encroaching darkness, as Sagan would say, we invite scholars to submit papers examining the multiple challenges of researching medievalisms and how we should address the growing spread of disinformation. Of course, other themes related to medievalisms, neo-medievalisms and the reception of the medieval as a whole are all welcome.<\/p>\n
Organised by the ISSM (International Society for the Study of Medievalisms), the annual conference is the oldest to be entirely dedicated to the subject of medievalisms, and this year, for the first time, it will be taking place in the South Americas, Brazil. For this to be possible, we will be working with the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel) to promote dialogue with professors and researchers from different countries and institutions, “aiming to connect the public with scholars engaged in Medievalism Studies around the world.”<\/p>\n
The conference is accepting papers and entire sessions via this link. The selected works will, later, be considered for a digital peer-reviewed publication. Submissions are open until September 01, 2026.<\/p>\n
This is a 100% online conference, which will take place between October 9 and 10. More information about the guests, keynotes, and schedules will start to be published soon.<\/p>\n
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In 1996, Carl Sagan warned us of a time when people would lose their ability to question, “when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few . . . when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what’s true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.” Maybe Mr Sagan was somewhat pessimistic when writing The Demon-Haunted World. But then again, in times of conspiracy theories, Ancient Aliens, Antivaxxers, and Holocaust Deniers, the Age of Information appears just as capable of spreading dangerous frauds and charlatans as it is of disseminating reliable scholarship.<\/p>\n