Identity is a complex, elusive and compelling topic, crucial to understanding any society at any time. Identity is an intensely personal thing, and can be extremely difficult to define. It can be both private and communal; influenced by peoples’ sense of themselves and by outside perceptions of what they should be. A community’s beliefs about its past, and the stories it tells about its origins, help to shape its sense of itself in the present.

The fourth Aberystwyth Medieval Conference for postgraduates will explore the relationship between history, community and identity, how those writing about the past helped to construct the identity of their communities, and how far their vision of communal identity and its relationship with the outside world reflects the experience of real medieval societies.

The workshop will take place at Aberystwyth University on 1st-3rd July 2020. It warmly welcomes postgraduates and early career scholars working on the high medieval past (c.800-1300) from a variety of disciplinary perspectives-including but not limited to history, literary studies, art history, philosophy, archaeology and palaeography-to offer a comparative and transregional approach.

Keynote speakers:

Elizabeth Boyle (Early Irish, NUI Maynooth)
Darius von Güttner-Sporzynski (History, Melbourne)
Justin Lake (International Studies, Texas A & M)

Possible topics might include, but are not limited to:

- Perception of communities or peoples in historical texts
- Local or regional networks
- Relationships between communities
- The role of myths and legends in constructing identities
- Boundaries/borders
- Ideas of ‘the other’

The workshop invites proposals for 20-minute papers from postgraduates of all years and interested early career researchers.

Proposals of 200-300 words should be sent to
aberystwythmedievalists@gmail.com by 1st March 2020.

We hope to offer some travel bursaries for successful applicants. Standard registration £20, postgraduate registration £15 (includes refreshments).