Oxford Forgotten Christianities Seminar, Oxford University via Zoom, Mondays in June 2021, 5:00–8:00 pm (BST)

For the purposes of this project, ‘Forgotten Christianities’ are defined as those Christian linguistic and ethnic self-defined groups which traditionally have been overlooked by mainstream academia including, Georgian, Syriac, Armenian, Ethiopic, Coptic, and Arabic Christianity. The “Forgotten Christianities” seminars will explore critical theories of identity formation, communal memory, and intellectual exchange in the history of the Eastern and Oriental Churches.

Each session will bring together doctoral students from various fields such as history, archaeology, theology, and the social sciences. Spanning Late Antiquity, the early Islamic era, and the Middle Ages, they will provide a diachronic and kaleidoscopic view of these historical communities and their self-representation. Participants are invited to engage critically with a range of theoretical frameworks and methodologies, such as postcolonial studies, memory studies, the history of ideas, and the development of cultural, religious, and social identity. Through exploring Christianities outside of Western Europe, the seminars aim to contribute to the paradigm shift which decentralises academic interest from a Eurocentric perspective, while showcasing the interconnectedness of societies.

Conveners: Bogdan Draghici (DPhil in Oriental Studies - Syriac, Wolfson College), Dan Gallaher (DPhil in History - Armenian/Byzantine Studies, Balliol College), Alexis Gorby (DPhil in Classical Archaeology, St John’s College).

Proposals by current DPhil/Ph.D. students and early career researchers for future sessions are welcome.

Seminars will be held on Zoom. Advance registration required.

Part II: Monday, June 14, 2021, 5:00–6:00 pm (BST)

Creation and Maintenance of Communal Boundaries Real and Imagined in Syriac Hagiography during the Early Islamic Period 
Kyle Brunner, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World- New York University 

Recent scholarship investigating local societies of the Middle East during the Late Antique and Early Islamic periods has made significant strides, shedding light on the importance of communal boundaries. In particular, hagiographical literature written in Syriac offers one of the best insights into the process of social boundary creation and maintenance for this period. This paper will use the Syriac Life of Mār Simeon of the Olives (d. AD 734) as a case study to demonstrate how communal boundaries—both real and imagined—were developed by Miaphysite Christians in Northern Mesopotamia during the late seventh and early eighth century. During that time, the previous frontier between the Roman and Sasanid empires was transformed into the Umayyad province of al-Jazīra. Simeon’s Life is a key witness to the shifting social dynamics of Northern Mesopotamia then. At its core, I will argue, the Life is a testament to the expansion in real estate and imagined–topography of the Monastery of Qartmin, Simeon’s monastic institution located on the Ṭûr ʿAbdîn plateau.