Othello's Island 2015

at the Severis Foundation • Nicosia • Cyprus

 

The Annual Conference of the Byzantine, Medieval and Renaissance Periods

and their legacies in art, culture, history, literature, etc.

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3rd Annual Conference 20-22 March 2015

(with additional day trip on 23 March)

 

Convenors:

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• Emeritus Professor James Fitzmaurice, Northern Arizona University (USA)

• Professor Lisa Hopkins, Sheffield Hallam University (UK)

• Dr Sarah James, University of Kent at Canterbury (UK)

• Dr Michael Paraskos, Cyprus College of Art

• Benedict Read FSA, University of Leeds (UK)

 

Confirmed keynote speakers:

 

• Dr Roger Christofides, University of Huddersfield (UK)

• Dr Chris Laoutaris, University of Birmingham (UK)

 

 

​We invite initial expressions of interest from academics, independent scholars, members of the public and learned societies in the third European conference on medieval and renaissance cultural and historical studies, Othello's Island. This is being held at the Costas and Rita Severis Foundation, Nicosia, Cyprus, from the 20th to the 22nd March 2015.

 

​The conference, now in its third year, is developing into an interesting and unique event in the medieval and renaissance studies calendar, combining fascinating academic debate with time spent discovering and exploring the remarkable Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is always worth remembering that Cyprus was one of the richest kingdoms in the medieval world, being ruled by French and Venetian monarchs and generals for almost 400 years. 

 

The conference Othello's Island has an inevitable bias towards the Mediterranean and Levant simply because of our location. However this is a result of self selection by potential speakers and we are in truth interested in hearing papers on all aspects of medieval and renaissance culture and history.

 

The conference will take place at the Severis Foundation in the historic old town area of Nicosia from 20 to 22 March 2015, and there will be an optional trip to see the stunning painted churches of the Troodhos mountains on 23 March. These churches are UNESCO protected (for more details click here).

 

Possible topics for the conference could include:

 

• Diverse aspects of medieval and/or renaissance historical and/or cultural studies

• Aspects of Byzantine historical and/or cultural studies

• Aspects of Ottoman or other Muslim states historical and/or cultural studies

• Art, literature and other aspects of culture from the medieval and renaissance periods

• Connections between late Antiquity and the medieval period

• Christian and muslim interactions and/or comparative studies

• The Mediterranean as a factor in medieval and renaissance history and/or culture

• Shakespeare and/or other writers of the medieval and/or renaissance periods

• Continuing legacies of the medieval and renaissance culture in the modern period

• The West, the Mediterranean and the Levant

• Other aspects of the medieval and/or renaissance periods.

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However, at this stage the aim is not to be prescriptive, and so we are open to all suggestions for sessions that explore the medieval and renaissance worlds, or subsequent legacies of those worlds (for example the rise of neo-medievalism in nineteenth-century Europe).

 

Call for Papers from Individuals

(later deadline for individuals - but we advise early submission)

 

If you are interested in giving a talk at the conference please submit a proposal for a paper. Standard papers are 20 minutes long, followed by 10 minutes for questions.

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We are very open minded on the topic of papers, so if you have an idea for a presentation that is not covered by the suggestions given above please feel free to submit a proposal, or contact us first to discuss the idea. 
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Proposals for papers should comprise a cover sheet showing: 
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1. Your title (eg. Mr, Ms, Dr, Prof. etc.) and full name 
2. Your institutional affiliation (if any) 
3. Your postal address, e'mail address and telephone number 
4. The title of your proposed paper 
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With this you should send a proposal/abstract for your paper of no more than 300 words and a copy of your CV/resume to mparaskos@mac.com with the subject line OTHELLO 2015. 
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All papers must be delivered in English. 

The deadline for submissions is 31 January 2015. Early submission is strongly advised. We aim to have a decision on the acceptance of papers within four weeks of submission.