AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION FOR BYZANTINE STUDIES XVIITHBIENNIAL CONFERENCE
20-21 July 2012, Macquarie University, New SouthWales, Australia
Registration is now open; the call for papers has beenextended to 30 April.
Our understanding of Byzantium's external and internalinteractions has shifted significantly as a result of recent scholarship. Thesignificance of this state to a millennium of developments throughout Eurasiahas been examined; more importantly, the nature of contacts between Byzantiumand its Eurasian neighbours has been reconceived. Models for understanding Byzantium'sinteractions with its neighbours have moved from imperial centre and periphery,to 'commonwealth', to 'overlapping circles', to parallel and mutualdevelopments in political and cultural identity. The Byzantine millennium nowseems more connected, by commerce, diplomacy and common cultural heritage, thanbefore. Artefacts and ideologies were acquired, appropriated or mediatedamongst Byzantium and its neighbours in the Latin West, southeastern andcentral Europe, Iran and Dar al-Islam; even prolonged
conflict did not preclude exchanges and indeedsometimes sprang from shared developments. At the same time, what we think ofas the distinctively Byzantine milieu of Constantinople also interacted withregional cultures that at various times formed part of its empire. Coptic andSyriac cultures in Late Antiquity, Latin and Arabic regions in later periods,displayed both ambivalence and engagement with the culture of Constantinopleand with its imperial and ecclesiastical leaders. As with Byzantium's external connections,'centre and periphery' models of internal interactions are giving way to moredynamic models seeing metropolis and regions as parts of broader, commondevelopments. The conference aims to explore these developments.
Keynote Speaker:
Professor Jonathan Shepard, University of Cambridge
Papers exploring any aspect of cultural and politicalinteractions between Byzantium and its neighbours, or within regions of theByzantine empire, are invited. Abstracts of up to 300 words for papers of 20minutes' duration should be sent by 30 April to AABS2012@mq.edu.au.
Postgraduate and Post-doctoral Conference Bursaries
The AABS committee will give a limited number ofbursaries of $500 each to postgraduate and postdoctoral members of AABS fromoutside Sydney who wish to present a paper. Please send an application letterwith details of your circumstances along with your abstract toAABS2012@mq.edu.au.
Conference Organisers
Andrew Gillett
Danijel Dzino
Ken Parry
Email: AABS2012@mq.edu.au
This conference is sponsored by the MacquarieUniversity Ancient Cultures Research Centre.
