Medieval Histories in Global Perspective, panels at the 2024 International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, July 1–4, 2024

Dr Charlie Rozier (University of East Anglia) and Dr Felege-Selam Soloman Yirga (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) invite expressions of interest for a series of collaborative sessions on medieval chronicle-writing at the 2024 Leeds International Medieval Congress. Our aim is to provide a forum in which specialists in the compilation of historical works from across the medieval world can cross traditional disciplinary boundaries in order to better understand the nature and purposes of historical thought in medieval cultures.

We invite contributions from specialists working on any world regions, bur we are particularly keen to explore pre-modern historical traditions outside of Latin Europe, including (but not limited to): the Islamic world, East Asia, South Asia, Syriac and Syro-Arabic traditions, sub-Saharan Africa, the Byzantine world, and Slavonic regions. Subjects to be explored may include:

• Introductions to the content and the form of medical histories (including nomenclature and characteristics of sub-genres) in particular regions and periods.
• The frameworks of historical time: how is history measured, and what does it look like on the page?
• Examples showing the preservation of the past through material objects and/or oral traditions.
• Examples of cross-cultural borrowings and inheritances between historical traditions.

The boundaries of what constitutes the 'medieval' period across these regions are broadly defined, and discussions are not limited to written histories: material, visual and oral traditions of history are also welcome topics.

In additional to the Leeds IMC conference sessions, we aim to organise a concluding roundtable, where attendees can discuss their perspectives on the subjects discussed and propose plans for future collaborations.