ReLACS is an annual workshop for scholars of Late Antiquity. Meetings have been held since 2010 on a rotating basis at Vanderbilt University, the University of Tennessee, and the University of Kentucky. 2020 will be the Consortium’s inaugural year at the University of Missouri-Columbia, hosted by the Department of Ancient Mediterranean Studies. The Consortium invites scholars from the Southeast and Midwest to present on any aspect of the late antique or early modern world.

 

Participation by graduate students is especially encouraged.

 

The 2020 workshop will begin with a public lecture on the evening of Friday, November 6, by Ellen Muehlberger, Professor of Christianity in Late Antiquity at the University of Michigan. Professor Muehlberger has published on a wide range of topics and her most recent monograph, Moment of Reckoning: Imagined Death and Its Consequences in Late Ancient Christianity, appeared last year with Oxford University Press. Her keynote lecture entitled “Suspicion, Projection, Conviction: Making Enemies in Early Christianity” focuses on the phenomenon of late ancient Christians, who, becoming convinced their neighbors were keeping secrets—whether hidden identities, covert practices, or mysterious alliances—believed them to be imposters. Like the monastic leader Shenoute of Atripe, some prominent fourth- and fifth-century Christians even took violent action against their neighbors. Dr. Muehlberger will lead us through an analysis of the confidence such Christians had in their knowledge of others and the effect their suspicions had on the performance of Christian piety in public and private spaces.

 

Saturday will be devoted to morning and afternoon paper sessions. Each paper will be allotted 30-minutes: a maximum of twenty minutes for formal presentation with the remainder given to discussion. Papers may be pre-circulated to allow more time for discussion. Coffee, snacks, and lunch will be provided for all participants.

 

Please send an abstract of no more than 300 words to Kristin Harper (kristinharper.phd@gmail.com) or Dennis Trout (troutd@missouri.edu) by 1 June 2020. Paper proposals will be referred by an inter-campus committee and selections will be made to maximize regional participation and ensure a diverse group of presenters. Notification of acceptance will be made by 15 July.