IMC Strands

What are the Strands?

The aim of the strand structure is to ensure balanced coverage of all aspects of research into the wider European Middle Ages. 35 evenly-sized strands make up the overall pattern of the Congress. This enables programming development across the wide geographical and chronological range of Medieval Studies. Overlaps and duplications are inevitable and the strand structure is intended to be inclusive, not exclusive, in nature. Each session will be allocated to a minimum of one strand but can be listed in a number of strands.

Programming Committee members have special co-ordinating responsibilities for a single strand within their specific area of expertise. The strand co-ordinator's role includes identifying particular research areas and fields, groups, bodies, and societies with relevant interests associated to the strand. Their aim is to provide a platform for presenting cutting-edge, ground-breaking, and innovative research and/or reflecting on past research trends, incorporating new perspectives, methodologies, approaches, technologies, utilising the Congress' unique size and scope to consider comparative and in-depth research side by side. The strand co-ordinator shapes the format, structure, and dynamics of the strand and ultimately co-ordinates the strand section of the programme. For details about each strand, click on the links below.

In addition to the recurrent 35 strands, the Congress designates one special thematic strand each year. This is complimentary to the recurrent strands and is not intended to replace them. While the special thematic strand is a one-off, the ongoing strands offer the opportunity to develop ideas over a number of years.

Strand	Strand Co-ordinator	Strand	Strand Co-ordinator
Anglo-Saxon Studies	Elaine Treharne, Stanford University	Language and Literature - Middle English	Andrew Galloway, Cornell University
Archaeology	Sam Turner, Newcastle University	Language and Literature - Romance Vernacular	Keith Busby, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Art and Architecture	Julian Gardner, University of Warwick	Late Antique and Early Medieval Studies	Yitzhak Hen, University of the Negev, Beer Sheva
Byzantine Studies	Shaun Tougher, Cardiff University	Latin Writing	Danuta Shanzer, Universität Wien
Celtic Studies	Helen Fulton, University of York	Literacy and Communication	Marco Mostert, Universiteit Utrecht
Central and Eastern European Studies	Jaroslaw Wenta, Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika, Torun	Material Culture	John Cherry, British Museum, London
Church History and Canon Law	Brenda M. Bolton, University of London	Medievalism and Reception of the Middle Ages	Bettina Bildhauer, University of St Andrews
Crusades and Latin East	Kurt Villads Jensen, University of Southern Denmark, Odense	Mediterranean and Islamic Studies	Jo van Steenbergen, Universiteit Gent
Culture and Society	Christian Rohr, Universität Bern	Monasticism and Religious Life	Gert Melville, Technische Universität Dresden
Daily Life	Gerhard Jaritz, Central European University, Budapest	Music and Liturgy	Nils Holger Petersen, Københavns Universitet
Drama	Cora B. Dietl, Universität Giessen	Philosophy and Political Thought	Vacant
Gender Studies/Women's Studies	Diane Watt, University of Surrey	Scandinavian Studies	Torstein Jørgensen, Universitetet i Bergen
Geography and Settlement Studies	Chris Lewis, University of London	Science, Technology and Military History	Steven A. Walton, Michigan Technological University
Government and Institutions	Charles Insley, University of Manchester	Social and Economic History	Flocel Sabaté i Curuell, Universitat de Lleida
Hagiography and Religious Writing	Anne-Marie Helvétius, Université de Paris VIII	Sources and Resources	Simon Forde, Co-Operative for the Advancement of Research through a Medieval European Network (CARMEN)
Historiography	Vacant	Theology and Biblical Studies	Pavel Blažek, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague
Jewish Studies	Eva Frojmovic, University of Leeds
Language and Literature - Comparative	co-ordinated by Keith Busby, Andrew Galloway, and Sieglinde Hartmann	STS 2015: Reform and Renewal	Steven Vanderputten, Universiteit Gent
Language and Literature - Germanic	Sieglinde Hartmann, Universität Würzburg	STS 2016: Food, Feast, Famine	Paul Freedman, Yale University