Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
February 7–8, 2020 Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
Unfreedom marked the lives of various people in the premodern world. Many factors played a role in shaping the forms of unfreedom prevalent in the premodern era: violence and coercion; shame and dishonor; disconnection of kin groups and destruction of social networks; and individual and collective strategies for economic, political, and social success that depended on the subjection of others. This year’s conference will focus on those whose status was defined primarily in terms of unfreedom, coercion, and constraint rather than the enjoyment of freedoms or privileges, including but not limited to slaves, serfs, captives, prisoners, pledges, hostages, and forced marriage or concubinage. We welcome panels and papers that theorize and/or historicize the status of unfreedom in medieval and renaissance contexts.
Deadlines: Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis until midnight, Mountain Standard Time on November 10, 2019. Please submit an abstract of 250 words and a brief CV to ACMRSconference@asu.edu. Proposals must include audio/visual requirements and any other special requests; late requests may not be accommodated.
Information for presenters: All sessions (panels, roundtables, workshops, etc.) are 90 minutes long. In order to maximize conversation and collaboration, sessions should be comprised of three to five 10-minute, individual presentations of new, cutting-edge work followed by discussion.