The Edges & The Middle in the Medieval Mediterranean

In his magnum opus, The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, Braudel writes of mountains, plateaux and plains before delving into the sea and coasts. The Mediterranean, which is, by literal definition, a 'middle' is presented as such only in relation to its edges.

The medieval Mediterranean can be considered through the concept of 'the edges and the middle' in a range of contexts including geography, ideology, politics, philosophy, technology, intellectual thought, art, emotions, religion and many more. It is evident in the planning of civic spaces and religious institutions, the dynamics of political courts, the interactions of merchants in trade networks, conceptions of the world, time, nature and bodies, the page and the margin, the portrait and the frame, the narrative scene and the landscape.

To mark the 30th anniversary of its founding, the SMM invites proposals for panels and papers that explore the theme 'The Edges & The Middle in the Medieval Mediterranean' for a special conference in Yerevan, Armenia, 21–24 June 2027.

We encourage the submission of abstracts for research papers that consider the theme broadly, literally and figuratively, and from a range of disciplinary perspectives.

Potential topics for papers include but are not limited to, the theme of the edges and the middle in:

• Space and the construction of space via mapping and planning

• Margins, marginalism and marginalia

• Economic dynamics

• War, conflict, and military models

• Institutions and their theoretical and physical structures

• Religious and linguistic interactions

• Mercantile and diplomatic activities

• Conceptions of the cosmos

• Intellectual thought

• Time and conceptions of temporality

• Medicine, bodies, anatomy and humours

• Power dynamics

• Religious communities, monastic, secular and lay

Submissions:

Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals for panels of three 20-minute papers each for 1.5 hour sessions, and should nominate a chair.

Panel proposals, to include:

– a session title,

– session abstract (150–200 words),

– 3 paper titles with short abstracts (100–150 words),

– the names, email addresses and affiliations of all 3 speakers,

– and the name, email address and affiliation of a nominated chair

OR we will endeavour to accept Individual paper proposals, to include:

– a paper title and short abstract (100–150 words)

– the name, email address and affiliation of the speaker

To be submitted to socmedimedit@gmail.com by 1 December 2026.

Language: Papers should be delivered in English. Panel chairs will be allowed to accept questions and discussion in any other language, if able to guarantee translation into English.