2016 Vagantes Conference on Medieval Studies, Rice University, February 18–20, 2016

Vagantes, North America’s largest graduate student conference for medieval studies, is seeking submissions for its 15th annual meeting at Rice University, February 18-20.

Since its founding in 2002, Vagantes has nurtured a lively community of junior scholars from across the disciplines. Every conference features thirty papers on any aspect of medieval studies, allowing for exciting interdisciplinary conversation and the creation of new professional relationships between future colleagues. Vagantes travels to a new university every year, highlighting the unique resources of the host institution through keynote lectures, exhibitions, and special events. Out of consideration for graduate students’ limited budgets, Vagantes never charges a registration fee.

The 2016 conference will feature exciting keynote speakers. Dr. Diane Wolfthal, David and Caroline Minter Professor of Humanities and Professor of Art History at Rice University, will present a talk entitled “Occupy the Middle Ages: Representations of Household Help” while Dr. Amy Mulligan, Assistant Professor of Irish Language and Literature at the University of Notre Dame, will present on her current research. In addition, Dr. Annemarie Weyl Carr, University Distinguished Professor of Art History Emerita at Southern Methodist University, will present Byzantine icons from the Menil Collection‘s holdings and take conference participants on a tour of the collection. The conference will also feature an exhibition of medieval illuminated manuscripts, sculptures, and facsimiles presented by the Woodson Research Center at Rice University.

All successful applicants residing outside metropolitan Houston who are unable to secure funding from their home institutions are eligible to apply for a travel honorarium to be issued as a reimbursement.

Graduate students in all disciplines are invited to submit a paper title and abstract.