In the first week of July, 111 participants braved the scorching heat to gather at Haus der Universität in the centre of Düsseldorf. Across three days, these scholars from across the world were joined by about 20 undergraduates from the university, for all of whom this was their first experience of an in-person conference; and 19 online participants. We heard 3 keynotes; 64 papers across 25 panels; 5 project reports; 3 round tables; and held 1 ISSEME general meeting. This is too much for one report to encompass; some highlights follow. What cannot be captured here is of course the quality, depth, and breadth of the work we shared with one another; nor the warmth and mutual support we showed.
As is traditional, a workshop took place before the main conference. This was not, however, a standard ECR professional skills event. Instead, Prof Seeta Chaganti (UC Davis) led a group of mixed-career-stage scholars in a challenging and enriching two-day exploration of what an anti-colonial, anti-racist medieval studies might look like. We hope that this will have far-reaching and long-lasting consequences as we seek to build an early medieval studies that actively and consciously addresses historical and ongoing injustices.
Düsseldorf was fortunate to host the inaugural Roberta Frank lecture. This keynote, made possible by anonymous donation (you too can support it, here), gives a platform to non-tenured scholars; it was a great pleasure that Roberta could join us virtually for this inaugural event. Dr Coleen Curran (Galway) delivered a sparkling analysis of manuscripts and scribal work, demonstrating communities of practice across the “north Atlantic archipelago”, and sharing some of the findings of the Breton Palaeography Project.
Opening and closing keynotes were likewise inspired by the theme of the conference. Prof Rory Naismith (Cambridge), tuned us in by showing us different lines of evidence for “Making Communities in Early Medieval England”, with a particular emphasis on the “making” of his title. Presenting a wealth of detail within an overarching narrative of change and continuity, Naismith showed how communities at different levels and of different degrees of formality all persistently remade themselves. Prof Susan Irvine (UCL) gave the closing keynote, in a richly illustrated exploration of “Astronomy in the Old English Boethius”. This fittingly ended the three days with a consideration of our place within a fragile and beautiful universe, and of the complex intertwinings of Old English poetry as she explored how understanding of the sun’s movements infiltrates a range of texts.
Social interactions were on a par with the scholarly work being shared. The conference was informally opened with beer and pretzels on the university campus on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, an apocalyptic thunderstorm precisely timed with the end of the last panel on Wednesday limited a collective desire to attend the wine reception, which meant that event was truly Bacchanalian for those who braved the weather and partook of the freely flowing local Riesling. At both events, students’ creative responses to Old English texts were on show. The conference dinner was informally hosted at Kasematten on the Rhine; much local Altbier and many sausages were consumed.
On the Saturday after the conference, most participants returned home or high-tailed it to Leeds for their next (smaller, less thrilling) scholarly event, or nursed hangovers after an epic final evening of celebration. But a group of us made it to Kaiserswerth, the burial place of Saint Swithberht (Suibertus), where we had a lovely day playing in the ruins of Barbarossa’s fortress and eating Flammkuchen.
Along with managing the funding (including some absurd tax processes), Prof Miriam Edlich-Muth gave us a willing and brilliant team to prepare and support the conference. In the week, this showed not least in their management of ever-dicey technology, but also in providing and endless resupply of food, drink, and clean glasses and plates for us to gobble from. The names are too many to list here—this really was a team event—but are listed below. All of us, though, owe our thanks to the community of scholars of early medieval England. As Rory showed in his keynote, communities are continually remade and ours is one we can keep choosing to remake: not only with a focus on academic excellence, but also on warmth, openness, and a commitment to being the change we want to see.
S. C. Thomson & Judith Kaup, HHU
Conference team (all HHU)
Oliva Colquitt
Eva Dahlhoff
Felix Dieckhoff
Moritz Draschner
Brianna Eckhardt
Miriam Edlich-Muth
Jacob Flor
Lindsey Jackson
Judith Kaup
Lea Krakova
Carolina Ruthenbürger
Katja Selzer
S. C. Thomson
Elliot P. J. R. Worrall