This conference is a follow-up to our 1995 conference, "The Cultural Work of Ritual, Symbol, and the Other." Like that conference, this one will address the relationship between the revolution in methodology which has taken place in the humanities and social sciences over the past decades and the past which is the common object of study for medieval and early modern scholars. In this case, the focus will be on any aspect of the topic of "historicism." Ideally, we are looking for papers which address both specific questions of history (political, social, literary, musical, artistic, religious, economic etc.) and some of the larger methodological concerns those questions raise. We hope to have papers from as large a range of disciplines and relevant periods as possible, and to organize them into sessions which emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of our work and which leave ample time for discussion. Send 2-page abstracts, if possible by November 1st, to Nicholas Watson, Dept. of English, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 3K7 -- nwatson@bosshog.arts.uwo.ca -- 519-679-2111x5806

[JM August 25 1995]