Recasting the Past: Early Modern to Postmodern Medievalisms

A Conference supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council AHRC at the University of Exeter7-8 September 2011

In 1649, the radical Digger movement called on the people of England to 'throw down that Norman yoke'; in 1849, at the launch of the periodical the Anglo-Saxon, its British readers were addressed as 'Anglo-Saxons all'; and in 2009, a cover story for Harpers magazine accused American soldiers in Afghanistan of acting 'exactly like the crusaders of 1096'.

This AHRC-supported conference will draw together research examining how, from the Renaissance to the present, historical narratives about Britain's 'medieval' past have been drawn on to foster communal identities; to fuel, legitimate or oppose social and political change; and to resist or moderate the forces of modernity. Confirmed speakers include Rosemary Hill, author of God's Architect: Pugin and the Building of Romantic Britain (2007) and Bruce Holsinger, author of The Premodern Condition: Medievalism and the Making of Theory (2005).

Proposals for individual papers of 20 minutes or 3-paper panels are invited. Possible topics might include:
. The formation of regional and national identities . The politics of Pre-Raphaelitism . Gothic architecture . The reception of historical medieval figures - King Alfred, Richard III, the Black Prince, etc . The social/political agendas of translation and editing projects . The uses of chivalry, monasticism, feudalism, etc in post-medieval thought and praxis . The establishment of medieval-inspired institutions and associations . The social uses of King Arthur, Robin Hood and other medieval myths/legends/folklore Please send proposals of 200-300 words to Dr Joanne Parker, Dr Philip Schwyzer, and Dr Corinna Wagner at medievalisms@exeter.ac.uk by 13 Friday 2011. We will notify delegates of their acceptance by 29 May.

Each year the AHRC provides funding from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities. Only applications of the highest quality are funded and the range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK. For further information on the AHRC, please go to: www.ahrc.ac.uk.