For a century, a premier destination for the globe’s medievalists

The proliferation of false information online may seem like a contemporary issue. However, over 600 years ago, Geoffrey Chaucer, writer of “The Canterbury Tales,” was already concerned about a similar phenomenon.

As stated by Fernanda García-Oteyza, a Ph.D. candidate in religion at the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, parallels to Chaucer’s Middle-English poem “The House of Fame,” where rumor is portrayed as an uncontrollable force of distortion, can be found in Patricia Lockwood’s “No One Is Talking About This” (2021), a modern novel depicting the internet’s capacity to alter truth and undermine literary voice.

“Both Lockwood and Chaucer explore themes of poetic authority, creativity, and inspiration, probing the complicated relationship between reality and fiction, between rumor and fame, diving into the tumult of voices that generate them all,” García-Oteyza shared with an audience at Sever Hall.

“It’s incredibly thrilling to be bringing the Medieval Academy back to our roots and to highlight how medieval studies has evolved and expanded over the last century.”

Sean Gilsdorf

García-Oteyza was one of nearly twenty Harvard students who showcased their work at the Medieval Academy of America’s centennial gathering in late March. This event serves as a leading venue for medievalists from across the globe. This time, over 800 scholars from 23 nations assembled in Harvard Yard for a three-day conference that featured 500 speakers, keynote addresses, workshops, exhibits, and musical performances.

“It’s been quite intriguing to witness the interdisciplinary nature of the field,” García-Oteyza remarked regarding her initial conference focused on medieval studies. “It’s been incredibly productive; I’ve met many people and recognized faces I’ve seen on book covers.”

The event functioned as a return to roots for the Medieval Academy of America, which was founded in Cambridge and Boston in the early 1920s. The conference last took place on Harvard’s campus during its 50th anniversary in 1975.

“It’s incredibly thrilling to be bringing the Medieval Academy back to our roots and to highlight how medieval studies has evolved and expanded over the last century,” noted Sean Gilsdorf, administrative director of the Committee on Medieval Studies at Harvard and a lecturer on medieval studies, along with being a co-chair for the conference’s program committee. “These historical instances provide a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the past while also to ponder the future. Where is the field headed? What scholarly advances will propel us into the next century?”

This year’s conference showcased the field’s broadened international perspective, with paper presentations covering the medieval realms of the Mediterranean, the British Isles, Scandinavia, Africa, Central and East Asia, and Islamic territories. A full-day pedagogy workshop on teaching the Global Middle Ages, organized by Assistant Professor of English Anna Wilson, inspired graduate students to adopt a more global approach as medievalists.

Elena Shadrina, a Ph.D. candidate in the History Department, showcased her research on medieval Venetian trade agreements, concentrating on how oral contracts, witnesses, and forms of written records were utilized by merchants prior to the establishment of an official recording system. Colin Brady, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures, presented his findings on the revival of the Óenach Tailteann (Tailteann Games) regional assembly and sporting festival in 10th-century Ireland.

Emily Sun, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of English, discussed her research on Meghan Purvis’ 2013 interpretation of “Beowulf,” concentrating on Purvis’ perspective as an American woman encountering the Old English poem from a significant geographical and cultural distance. Following the COVID-19 lockdowns, Sun expressed her renewed appreciation for participating in conferences like this one. Such gatherings afford her the chance to extend her work beyond digital platforms and engage in meaningful interactions with other scholars.

“This constitutes a vital aspect of what scholarship truly embodies — meeting your bibliography and connecting with colleagues, professors, and researchers from diverse levels at panels with you, observing your presentations, and sharing insightful ideas,” Sun stated. “Witnessing the familiar figures who are also your academic icons is extraordinary.”