The Nature of the Middle Ages: A Problem for Historians? (A Roundtable)

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Haskins Society; Medieval Institute, Western Michigan Univ.

Organizer Name

Robert F. Berkhofer, III

Organizer Affiliation

Western Michigan Univ.

Presider Name

Robert F. Berkhofer, III

Paper Title 1

The Material Turn

Presenter 1 Name

Robin Fleming

Presenter 1 Affiliation

Boston College

Paper Title 2

The Study of the Middle Ages and the Dread Word Relevance

Presenter 2 Name

Marcus Bull

Presenter 2 Affiliation

Univ. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Paper Title 3

Not Quite Fifty Years of Women's History at Kalamazoo

Presenter 3 Name

Ruth Mazo Karras

Presenter 3 Affiliation

Univ. of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Paper Title 4

Changing Subjects in Medieval History

Presenter 4 Name

Paul Freedman

Presenter 4 Affiliation

Yale Univ.

Paper Title 5

"Medieval" People: Psyche?/Self?/Emotions?

Presenter 5 Name

Nancy Partner

Presenter 5 Affiliation

McGill Univ.

Start Date

15-5-2015 10:00 AM

Session Location

Bernhard Brown & Gold Room

Description

Session considers core questions relating to the discipline of medieval history. This includes “what's happening in medieval history now” but really aims for: what are the questions that define the entire field? Is it really defensible to try to place 1000 years under one rubric? What were (or are) the important historiographic trends (such as materiality, gender, alterity, globalism, identity)? What was the relevance of medieval historians (as opposed to medieval people)? Another topic will be the relationship of Medieval History to Medieval Studies, especially as the Congress has been such a powerful stimulus to the development of Medieval Studies in North America and internationally.

Robert F. Berkhofer III