Southern Italy in the Middle Ages: A Political, Cultural and Economic Centre (5th–13th Centuries), Amalfi, December 9–11, 2020

We are pleased to announce the call for abstracts for the conference ‘Southern Italy in the Middle Ages: a Political, Cultural and Economic Centre (5th – 13th centuries), to be held 9 – 11 December 2020 at the Centro di Storia e Cultura Amalfitana (Amalfi, SA).

Located at the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, Southern Italy represents the ideal field of study for any examination of the social, economic and political transformations that occurred during the Middle Ages. As reflected by the unusually abundant written documentation, Southern Italy hosted some of the leading cultural and religious centres of the time. On the other hand, its political fragmentation, until the Norman conquest, made the region a theatre of war between the major Medieval political actors. Crossroads of both cultural interactions and opposed political ambitions, the area was strictly connected with Constantinople and the Ifriqiya, while it acquired increasing relevance within the imperial ideology of both Carolingians and Ottonians.

Taking into account the most recent theoretical and methodological debates, as well as the latest archaeological findings, the workshop seeks to highlight both challenges and potentialities that arise in the study of Southern Italy. Following a multidisciplinary approach, we aim to gather historians, archaeologists and art historians that are experts in Medieval, Byzantine and Islamic Studies.

We seek abstracts from PhD candidates and early career researchers.