{"id":21454,"date":"2026-05-03T04:43:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T04:43:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/?page_id=21454"},"modified":"2026-05-03T04:43:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T04:43:04","slug":"mowry-2026-congress","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/abstracts\/mowry-2026-congress\/","title":{"rendered":"Mowry (2026 Congress)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Ruthann E. Mowry<\/strong><br \/>\n(<em>University of Illinois \u2014 Urbana\u2013Champaign<\/em>)<\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Abstract of Paper<br \/>\npresented at the 61st International Congress on Medieval Studies<br \/>\n(Kalamazoo, 2026)<\/h3>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/2026-international-congress-on-medieval-studies-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2026 International Congress on Medieval Studies: Program<\/a><\/h4>\n<h3>Session on<br \/>\n&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/icms.confex.com\/icms\/2026\/prelim.cgi\/Session\/7200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Alchemy of Learning:<br \/>\nMagic, Pedagogy, and Public Engagement<\/a>&#8220;<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sponsored by <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Societas Magica<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Research Group on Manuscript Evidence<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Organized by<\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Veronica Menaldi (<em>Independent Scholar \/ Societas Magica<\/em>)<\/span><\/h4>\n<h3>Paper Title:<\/h3>\n<h2>&#8220;Gateway to the Occult:<br \/>\nMagic, Public Engagement, and Special Collections&#8221;<\/h2>\n<h3>Abstract:<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div>Magic has always been a site of both fascination and anxiety, historically positioned at the margins of official knowledge, yet persistently attracting popular attention. Today, that tension makes magic an unusually effective tool for public humanities outreach in special collections. This presentation argues that programs centered on the history of magic can destigmatize both occult subjects and the rare book library itself, reframing each as approachable, relevant, and open to all.<\/div>\n<div>Drawing on recent programming in a large university special collections library, I highlight webinars on the history of witchcraft that drew unprecedented audience engagement, a primary source instruction session on magical practices designed for theater students, and an emerging public program on tarot. While the formats varied, the outcome was consistent: audiences engaged deeply with primary sources, asked thoughtful and enthusiastic questions, and left with both a clearer understanding of magic&#8217;s historical role and a sense that special collections are for them.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>By situating these case studies within the history of magic as a subject of teaching, from its place in the medieval curriculum to its renewed relevance today, I demonstrate how public programming around the occult draws on enduring human curiosity while also advancing contemporary archival models of community care. In this sense, teaching and programming about magic operates as a form of radical pedagogy. It challenges the lingering stigma attached to both occult studies and special collections, and it harnesses curiosity to cultivate sustained, meaningful relationships with collections. The occult-curious public offers special collections an opportunity to embrace magic as a gateway subject that democratizes access, sparks wonder, and expands the reach of the humanities.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>*******<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ruthann E. Mowry (University of Illinois \u2014 Urbana\u2013Champaign) Abstract of Paper presented at the 61st International Congress on Medieval Studies (Kalamazoo, 2026) 2026 International Congress on Medieval Studies: Program Session on &#8220;The Alchemy of Learning: Magic, Pedagogy, and Public Engagement&#8220; Sponsored by Societas Magica Research Group on Manuscript Evidence Organized by Veronica Menaldi (Independent Scholar [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":1023,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21454"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21454"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21469,"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21454\/revisions\/21469"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}