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NEW APPROACHES TO THE ANCIENT GRECO-ROMAN MEDITERRANEAN

A GRADUATE SYMPOSIUM

September 28 – 30, 2018

The Program in Classical and Medieval Studies at Bates College invites papers on any topic related to new approaches to the cultures of the ancient Greco-Roman Mediterranean, for a day-long graduate symposium showcasing the work of emerging scholars (recent PhD or ABD) from historically underrepresented groups.

The symposium will showcase new work by individuals from underrepresented groups in the professoriate, specifically defined as including African Americans, Alaska Natives, Arab Americans, Asian Americans, Latinx, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders.

We seek papers that examine how people (ancient through modern) have maintained or deployed the power and prestige of Greek and/or Roman culture through texts, objects, rituals, or other means. In the ancient world, Greeks and Romans interacted with each other, and with many other populations, and in these layered interactions they negotiated identities, cultural hierarchies, and relationships including to their own past. We will consider papers on such layered interactions as well as historical or contemporary adaptations of classicism. We are interested also in papers that expand the theoretical lens through which such cultural and linguistic interactions—ancient or modern—are studied. Fields may include literature, history, medicine, philosophy, religion, art, linguistics, or politics, among others.

Invited speakers will have their travel expenses covered and will be guests of the College from the evening of 9/28 through breakfast on 9/30, with all paper presentations to occur on 9/29. Twenty-minute papers will be grouped into thematic panels, with additional roundtable and Q&A formats running throughout the day. We aim to create an intellectually enriching experience for all interlocutors, including the selected speakers and the faculty and students of Bates College.

What to Submit:

  • A 300-word abstract describing the paper’s argument, critical context, and significance
  • A current cv
  • A brief statement confirming self-identification as a member of a historically underrepresented group

Where to Submit:

Abstract, cv, and statement should be submitted in PDF format by email to lmaurizi@bates.edu by April 1. Speakers will be notified of acceptance by the end of May.

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(Photo: "Handwritten" by A. Birkan, licensed under CC BY 2.0)