The biggest show in town

Next week is the International Medieval Congress, hosted by the University of Leeds. It’s the largest medieval studies event in Europe and the scale is pretty incredible: medievalists attend from more than sixty countries to present and listen to around 2,000 papers on medieval studies across an extremely wide range of themes. More than that, there are public concerts, performances, excursions, book fairs, and even a disco (disappointingly, the disco is not medieval-themed, as far as I’m aware).

Some examples I’m looking personally forward to are the Chant Soundwalks happening all week and the 'La Mora' Tapestry Project but the events list also includes a medieval pub quiz, an open mic, and a storytelling circle. The excursions include a trip to Sandal Castle and the Battle(?) of Wakefield (1460), Beverley Minster and Town, and, of course, the local Kirkstall Abbey. The final day, Thursday, is an immersive extravaganza, where the University square is transformed into a medieval entertainment space. There are displays of medieval combat, opportunity to meet birds of prey, and experience demonstrations of medieval crafts and techniques.

To give you a flavour of the academic content, I’m organising a panel on sensory experiences of early medieval spaces in West Asia, moderating a panel on Viking relations, chairing a panel on teaching Medieval History, and responding to two expert papers on the perception of Muslim women in the Crusades – and those are just the panels I’m participating in! It’s actually my first time at the IMC so I’m very excited about the birds of prey, obviously, and I imagine I’ll be spending a lot of time at the book fairs – not least to see what Medieval World: Culture & Conflict readers might be interested in. It’s going to be a busy week!

Until next time,

Rhiannon