Dear colleagues, I'm sharing this call for papers on behalf of Professor John Chaffee. Please submit a paper abstract if you are interested! ------------------------- Dear Colleagues, I write to draw your attention to a conference that will be held in Binghamton this October on "Medieval Cultural Heritage Around the Globe." CEMERS (the Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies) has been working to globalize its focus and this conference is a result of that. I know that the organizers would love to have papers relating to China. Best, John Chaffee Distinguished Service Professor Departments of History and Asian and Asian American Studies Binghamton University Call for Papers: CEMERS Conference Medieval Cultural Heritage Around the Globe: Monuments, Literature, and the Arts, Then and Now Binghamton University (in person and online) October 22–23, 2021 The field of cultural heritage has experienced a great increase in scholarly and media attention in recent years. Events such as the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials have made evident how controversial cultural heritage can be, and the central role it plays in defining communal identities at all levels, from small villages to multi-state entities, such as colonial empires or, more recently, the United States and the European Union. This interdisciplinary conference, hosted by the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CEMERS) at Binghamton University will explore cultural heritage, broadly conceived, as it relates to the global Middle Ages (ca. 500 – ca. 1500). Topics will range from medieval approaches to the cultural heritage inherited or claimed by medieval societies, to the transformation of medieval heritage through the centuries, to the yearning for medieval times that has inspired, in the modern era, the architecture of university campuses, the rebuilding of Japanese castles to assert communal identity, and the revival of traditional crafts and performing arts, among others. This conference aims to bring together scholars from a range of backgrounds whose work sheds important new light on our relationship with the medieval past. We hope to foster conversations across traditional disciplinary and geographic boundaries about the definitions, cultural significance, and use of cultural heritage in disparate parts of the medieval and modern worlds. How does examining conceptions and problems related to cultural heritage inform our understanding of medieval cultures? How does modern engagement with the medieval past shape debates about power, identity and belonging? What determines how heritage is defined and what merits preservation? What is the state of medieval heritage today? We invite papers from a variety of disciplinary and methodological perspectives on any topic related to cultural heritage and the Middle Ages, including: · Medieval heritage and identity in the early modern and modern worlds · Trafficking in and questions surrounding the restitution of cultural artifacts · Heritage across borders and global diasporas · Cultural heritage sites connected to legends, literature, and theater · Pilgrimage and tourism · Issues of representation and exclusion · UNESCO and the handling of medieval cultural heritage · Literature and film tourism at heritage sites · Violence, atrocity, and difficult heritage · Heritage-making and cultural appropriation · Heritage and communities · Cultural heritage in the digital world We are planning for an on-site hybrid conference in Binghamton incorporating both face-to-face meetings and virtual options. We will be monitoring the situation around COVID-19 throughout the conference planning process. More information will be shared in the summer. Abstracts for individual papers and for sessions are invited. We particularly encourage scholars working in different disciplines to organize panels together. Papers should be 20 minutes in length. Send abstracts and CVs to cemers@binghamton.edu. Please indicate whether you are interested in coming to Binghamton or plan to participate remotely. Deadline: May 15, 2021. For information, contact Roberta Strippoli (rstrippo@binghamton.edu). This conference will have four keynote speakers: Junko Habu (Berkeley) Cécile Fromont (Yale) Trinidad Rico (Rutgers) Jace Weaver (University of Georgia) Sincerely, Ya Zuo Secretary, Society for Song, Yuan, and Conquest Dynasties Studies