Recent Calls for Papers

Recent Calls for Papers

Studies in Medievalism XXXI: Political Medievalism III 

From Hitler’s “Third Reich” to Bush’s “crusade” against terrorism, professional politicians have often invoked the Middle Ages to justify their actions. But they are far from alone, for many of their constituents have also deployed medievalism for political purposes, as in condemning impoverished countries for “failing to escape” the Middle Ages. Indeed, much of medievalism, not to mention the study of it, has revolved around politics of one kind or another, as became evident from the unprecedented number of submissions to our two previous volume (XXIX & XXX) on this theme. Studies in Medievalism, a peer-reviewed print and on-line publication, is therefore once again seeking not only feature articles of 6,000-12,000 words (including notes) on any postmedieval responses to the Middle Ages, but also essays of approximately 3,000 words (including notes) on the intersection of medievalism (studies) and politics. How exactly have professional and amateur politicians misconstrued, mangled, and manipulated the Middle Ages and to what end? How have politics influenced the development of medievalism and/or study of it? In what sense, if any, is it possible to have medievalism (studies) without politics? How might medievalism otherwise be deployed in professional or amateur politics? In responding to these and related questions, contributors are invited to give particular examples, but their submissions, which should be sent to Karl Fugelso (kfugelso@towson.edu) in English and Word by August 1, 2021 (note that priority will be given to papers in the order they are received), should also address the implications of those examples for the discipline as a whole. 

The Year’s Work in Medievalism 35 (2020): Movement

The thematic focus for Issue 35 (2020) of The Year’s Work in Medievalism is movement. In 2020, movement and stagnation were paired frequently with medievalism, through discussions of plague, cultural systems, and political ideologies. We invite consideration of COVID-19 public health motion control / shelter in place orders, increasing reliance on medievalism imagery within alt-right political movements, the use of medievalism to support left-leaning political movements, popular culture medievalisms (especially those featuring nomadic or questing protagonists), and more. Contributions arising from the 2020 meeting of the International Society for the Study of Medievalism are also welcome.

The Year’s Work in Medievalism is a peer-reviewed open access journal providing codisciplinary and interdisciplinary communication for scholars interested in the reception of medieval culture in post-medieval times. We welcome submissions in English covering all aspects of medievalism, including traditional essay-style submissions that are 3,000-4,000 words (including notes) in length, as well as creative works. 

Deadline for submissions: February 15, 2021.

Submissions and inquiries regarding submissions should be directed to both Renée Ward (rward@lincoln.ac.uk) and Valerie Johnson (vjohnso6@montevallo.edu). Please follow the journal style sheet when preparing your submission for consideration.