Caucasian Connections: Beyond Liminality, session at the 26th International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, July 1–4, 2019

The relationship between the Caucasus and the outside world has been deeply implicated in its cultural development and structures of authority from the Maikop Culture onwards. Kist as outside empires sought to control the Caucasus, its people and strategic routes and resources, so indigenous Caucasian elites sought the favour of outsiders in their struggles for power. At the same time, the Caucasus maintained a distinctive set of cultural traditions. This tension between access to the outside world and indigenous ‘Caucasian civilisation’ has been a central theme of scholarship on the region.

In order to promote interdisciplinary dialogue on these issues, we propose to organise one or several panels at the International Medieval Studies- the world’s second-largest gathering of medieval scholars and the largest in Europe. We welcome papers from the disciplines of History, Art History, Archaeology, Medieval Studies, Literature or Historical Linguistics on the cultures of the Caucasus (broadly defined), its relationship with the surrounding areas, or outside attitudes to the region. In particular, we seek papers that can address the material culture aspects of these relationships, given the overall conference theme of ‘materiality’. Possible subjects may include, but are not limited to:

• material cultures of the Caucasus and its neighbours;
• economic, social or cultural connections within or beyond the Caucasus;
• the (un)importance of the outside world in the formation of Caucasian culture, society or identity;
• outsider perceptions of the Caucasus.

Session Organizer
John Latham Sprinkle, SOAS, University of London