I would like to recommend a blog that I have been following for awhile, called In the Middle. It’s a group blog run through George Washington University’s Medieval and Early Modern Studies Institute.
They have some really interesting events coming up this semester in Washington, DC (and in Kalamazoo, MI) and I wanted to share in case anyone is interested in taking a train to DC to check one of these out. Possibly anyone taking Dr. Rice’s Medieval Romances class this semester … ?
Here is the short list of DC events and a link to the full blog post on events for this spring. Leave a comment here if you’re interested in a day-trip!
On February 11 Maghan Keita will join us for a conversation on two precirculated essays that examine medieval and early modern race. Keita is a historian of contemporary Africa who has been conducting recent research in a much earlier time period. I blogged about one of his journal essays (on the African presence in Malory) some time back.
On Thursday 2/24 at 4 PM, we will have a book launch celebration for Gil Harris (George Washington University) and Madhavi Menon (American University). Gil’s excellent book Shakespeare and Literary Theory was recently published by Oxford, and Madhavi’s fabulous edited collection Shakesqueer (containing pieces by many scholars familiar to ITM readers) was just released by Duke. The celebration takes place in the English Department seminar room, Academic Center 771 (801 22nd St NW).
March 11 and 12 is our paradigm altering and cataclysmic conference Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: Ethics and Objects in the Early Modern and Medieval Periods. Registration is limited to 50 and does require a fee to offset room rentals and catering. Most of the Friday events, including Jane Bennett’s plenary, are free and welcome all who wish to attend; no registration necessary for those.
Friday April 1 at 9 AM is a breakfast seminar with Suzanne Miller, who this year joined the history department of the George Washington University. Her essay “Christiano non dicam rectore sed fidei perversore: Episcopal Resistance to Outside Rule in the North Adriatic and in Europe, c. 1100-1350″ will be pre-circulated two weeks in advance.
I agree that In the Middle is a great group blog, but it’s more than just part of GWU’s MEMSI outfit. It’s mostly run by Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, who’s MEMSI’s main organizer, but it’s a true group blog, also featuring posts by Eileen Joy, Karl Steel, and several other theoretically engaged medievalists. Very good stuff.