{"id":12415,"date":"2020-01-18T21:40:08","date_gmt":"2020-01-18T21:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/?p=12415"},"modified":"2020-07-13T22:45:55","modified_gmt":"2020-07-13T22:45:55","slug":"2020-international-congress-on-medieval-studies-program-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/2020-international-congress-on-medieval-studies-program-announced\/","title":{"rendered":"2020 International Congress on Medieval Studies Program Announced"},"content":{"rendered":"

Research Group on Manuscript Evidence
\nat the 55th International Congress on Medieval Studies
\n7\u201310 May 2020<\/h2>\n

Program Announced
\n[NOW CANCELLED OR POSTPONED]<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

[Update on 12 July 2020<\/em>:\u00a0 Now see 2021 International Congress on Medieval Studies Call for Papers<\/a>]<\/p>\n

[Published on 18 January 2020, with updates.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Ad\u00e8le

Ad\u00e8le Kindt (1804\u20131884), The Fortune Teller (circa 1835). Antwerp, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten. Image via Wikimedia Commons.<\/p><\/div>\n

Update on 17 March.\u00a0 The 55th Congress has been Cancelled.\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

According to the website for the International Congress on Medieval Studies<\/a>:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The health and safety of our attendees and our community are our first priority. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the most recent recommendations of the CDC and the WHO regarding social distancing and public gatherings, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 55th International Congress on Medieval Studies (May 7-10, 2020).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

As for the future, according to the Congress organizers:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We invite the organizers of sponsored and special sessions approved for the 2020 Congress to re-propose them for the 2021 congress. If proposed, they will be approved automatically.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, with the preparations for the Congress set aside, the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence continues to advance with posting the Abstracts of the intended Papers for our 2020 ICMS Sessions, to stand alongside their Statements of Purpose as designed for the Call for Papers<\/a> and announced in this post.<\/em><\/p>\n

Our tradition regularly has been to post on our website the Abstracts before our Sessions in a given Congress, as a foretaste of the Menu.\u00a0 Years ago, as a sign of appreciation, we adopted the custom of posting the Abstract of one or other contributor who became unable to attend to present in person\u00a0(as with the 2016 Congress<\/a> and the <\/a>2014 Congress<\/a>)<\/a>.\u00a0 Thus we honor the intentions of our participants to present the results (or interim results) of their research and reflections, even when they could not do so at the event.<\/em><\/p>\n

Before March 2020, only once before, in more than 30 years of activities in many centers in the United States and elsewhere (see our Events<\/a> and Congress Activities)<\/a>, has the Research Group had to cancel an event itself.\u00a0 That case was only 1 Session among 7 sponsored and co-sponsored Sessions at the 48th International Congress on Medieval Studies in May 2013<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

This March, in stark contrast, 2 of our major events for 2020 have had to be cancelled as a whole.\u00a0 This change pertains both at the Congress and elsewhere.\u00a0 First, our 2020 Spring Symposium, From Cover to Cover<\/a>, intended for 13\u201314 March at Princeton University, has been Cancelled or Postponed<\/a>.\u00a0 Now, the 55th ICMS intended for May at Kalamazoo.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

For the former, we aim to complete the Symposium Booklet, with the Program, Abstracts, and Illustrations, as planned,and distribute it to contributors, registrants, and others, as a souvenir of the collective aims for the gathering. \u00a0 Here we similarly honor our participants’ intentions by recording their Abstracts.<\/em>]<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

What We Planned<\/span><\/h3>\n
\"Baltimore,

Baltimore, The Walters Art Museum, MS W.782, folio 15r. Van Alphen Hours. Image via Creative Commons.<\/p><\/div>\n

With the achievement of our Activities at the 2019 International Congress on Medieval Studies (ICMS), described in our 2019 Congress Report<\/a>, we prepare for the 2020 Congress<\/a>. With the conclusion of the Call for Papers<\/a> on 15 September 2019 for our sponsored and co-sponsored Sessions, we have assigned their Programs and reported them to the Congress Committee.<\/p>\n

Now, as the new year begins, we announce the programs as well as our other activities at the 2020 Congress.\u00a0 As the Congress announces its Sneak Preview of the 2020 Congress Program<\/a>, we report the times and room assignments. Soon, as is our custom, we will publish the Abstracts for their Papers and Responses.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Our events at the Congress, as always, are designed to represent, to explore, to promote, to celebrate, and to advance aspects of our shared range of interests, fields of study, subject matter, and collaboration between younger and established scholars, teachers, and others, in multiple centers.<\/p>\n

This year, the response to the Call for Papers for our Session on Seals received so strong a response that we have been granted 2 sessions in the place of the one as accepted. Again this year we co-sponsor Sessions with the Societas Magica<\/a> (2 Sessions this year). It will be the 16th year of this co-sponsorship<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also, like the 2015\u20132019 Congresses<\/a>, we plan for<\/p>\n