Category Archives: Call for Papers

CFP — Vassals and Lords: Christians, Muslims, and Jews in the Western Mediterranean (13th-15th centuries)

UNED, Madrid, October 26-28, 2026. Deadline for submitting proposals: 30 June, 2026.

They are welcoming proposals from different disciplines (political history, history of art, literary criticism, cultural studies, diplomatics, archaeology, and others) that explore the dynamics of seigneurial power across the Iberian kingdoms −Portugal, Castile, Navarre, the Crown of Aragon and its Mediterranean territories (including those in Italy and beyond).

CfP: Jüdisches Mittelalter vermitteln

11th Workshop of the ”Arbeitsgruppe Mittelalter im Netzwerk Jüdisches Kulturerbe“ in cooperation with the Jewish Museum Augsburg Swabia

The ”Arbeitsgruppe Mittelalter im Netzwerk Jüdisches Kulturerbe“ invites to its next workshop on October 8–9, 2026, in Augsburg. The Jewish Museum Augsburg Schwaben is currently preparing to revamp its permanent exhibition. Against this backdrop, the workshop will once again address the question of how to portray and contextualize medieval Jewish life in a museum setting. Unlike in Cologne, for example, there are few archaeological finds or objects that could be used to present the diverse history of the medieval Jewish community in Augsburg. It is primarily municipal sources and a few Hebrew sources that provide insight into the life of this community. Together in Augsburg, we will discuss how vivid, scientifically grounded multimedia and spatial presentations can be developed and narrated from this seemingly disparate source material; how medieval Jewish history can be conveyed within the context of urban history and urban space; and where, on the one hand, the limitations and, on the other, the future potential of museum concepts can be identified.

We invite interested individuals from all disciplines (building research, archaeology, architectural and art history, history, Jewish studies, historic preservation, and museology) to submit short abstracts (max. 2,000 characters) on specific case studies or source studies. Please submit your application by June 15, 2026, at the latest.

The number of participants for both days is limited. Travel and accommodation expenses cannot be covered.

Registration and further information: malin.drees@jmaugsburg.de /maria.stuerzebecher@erfurt.de / simon.paulus@ifag.uni-stuttgart

The Wandering Jew and other myths: a special issue of Patterns of Prejudice

According to their call, the welcome “submissions discussing legends and mythic figures exclusively through the lens of reclamation responding to racial, national, ethnic or religious exclusion. These narratives emerge out of harmful contexts, disseminating derogatory and divisive storytelling about the misunderstood ‘stranger’. Be it a warrior, supernatural guide, or everyman, how is this type removed from such origins, and reshaped by indigenous (or other) cultural actors? We are especially interested in non-formal methods of knowledge as transmitted through folklore or oral tradition, and representations in the visual arts, literature and music. Submissions may explore the difference between Israeli and diasporic approaches to the Wandering Jews; its resonance amongst other traditionally nomadic peoples, such as Roma; or relevance for other postcolonial cultures.”

Deadline: 12 June 2026.

International Conference Moving Beyond Prevailing Narratives

Moving Beyond Prevailing Narratives: Rethinking the Medical Knowledge of Pre-Modern Jews at the Crossroads of Cultures, Sources and Traditions

Granada, 7-8 September 2026

The development of medicine and the provision of healthcare among pre-modern and early modern Jewish cultures have received significant scholarly attention, especially in recent decades. However, despite the extensive bibliography that continues to grow, important areas remain underexplored, particularly with regard to medical theories, concepts, practices, and beliefs as transmitted through a wide range of texts.

Continue reading International Conference Moving Beyond Prevailing Narratives

VI Krakow Jewish Studies Conference: Boundaries, 27-28 May 2026

According to their call, they “invite undergraduate, graduate, and PhD students to submit their proposals. [….] Boundaries have played a central role in shaping Jewish identities, communities, and relationships – both within Jewish societies and in relation to the Other. At the same time, Jewish historical and cultural experiences are deeply marked by the crossing, negotiation, and renegotiation of boundaries: geographic, social, linguistic, cultural, religious, and symbolic. This conference seeks to explore boundaries not only as lines of division or exclusion, but also as zones of contact, exchange, tension, and transformation. We especially welcome contributions that address processes of boundary-making, boundary-crossing and liminality in Jewish contexts across time and space.”

Deadline: 25 March 2026.

Medicine, sciences and ‘popularization of knowledge’ – EABS Annual Conference 2026

Here is the call for the EABS Annual Conference 2026 at KU Leuven, Belgium, 20–23 July 2026: “For our annual focus area “Popularization of Knowledge”, we invite scholars to comparatively explore the diffusion of medicine, sciences and other (scientific) knowledge (including magic, divination, dream interpretation etc.) beyond the confines of technical texts or groups of experts, with a specific focus on its applicability and socio-cultural utility in Jewish (also in Judeo-Arabic, Ladino or Yiddish), (early) Christian (in Greek, Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, Latin etc.) and Islamic(ate) (con)texts as well as in ancient Egyptian, Babylonian and other cultures (Syriac, Persian, Mandean, South-Asian, East-Asian etc.). Scholars may address – with a focus on a single text/tradition or a comparative approach, synchronic and/or diachronic – the diffusion of (expert) knowledge into the non-technical discourse (e.g. literature, epistles, political, religious or legal writings) of other learned circles (political, or other elites), religious traditions (e.g. rabbinic texts; the Persian Denkard/Bundahisn; early Christian authors, Islamic texts, Vedic traditions etc.) as well as into wider areas of society. Such a ‘popularization’ of expert knowledge might include the appropriation of concepts about the body, the world/nature and the cosmos/creation or  practices (e.g. healing; ritual action, examinations, incantations, divination).”

Wisdom from the Middle Ages: Philosophical Contributions from the Abrahamic Traditions

According ot their call, “The University of New Brunswick’s Department of Philosophy invites scholars to submit abstracts for an international conference on “Wisdom from the Middle Ages: Philosophical Contributions from the Abrahamic Traditions.” This conference will highlight the important philosophical contributions made by Jewish, Christian, and Islamic thinkers in the Middle Ages. A secondary goal of the conference is to encourage dialogue and collaboration among researchers who work in different Abrahamic traditions, as well as to prompt new comparative studies among these traditions.”

Deadline: 30 January 2026.