[1] Representing Unruly Women: New Approaches to Pre-Modern Gender in the Age of Transfeminism
From: Sara K. Berkowitz
Date: June 2, 2023

Visual representations of the female body have figured prominently in medieval and early modern art historical scholarship. Idealized and perfected representations of the female form—from statues of the Virgin Mary to anatomical wax models—have particularly shaped pre-modern attitudes towards gender, sex, race, religion, and science. Yet beyond this veneer of the sanctified and ennobled female body lies a profusion of understudied artworks that portray unconventional women whose bodies and behavior transgressed spiritual, physical, and social boundaries.

In recent decades, studies of these unideal or ambiguous female bodies in art have turned to modern and postmodern theories to better understand the role of gender in shaping visual discourses of difference, including transfeminism, queer studies, disability studies, and critical race theory. While the employment of modern theory has enabled art historians to excavate previously ignored or understudied representations of the female body and use historical precedent to highlight the enduring constructedness of gender, it potentially risks blurring the boundaries of historical specificity and the complexities of pre-modern perceptions of sex and gender.

This panel will explore the role of modern theory in the study of female bodies in the medieval and early modern world. We welcome papers that investigate visual strategies employed to signal transformations, transgressions, and diversions from the idealized female body, with attention paid to historically embodied experiences of the pre-modern era and the approaches artists employed in specific geographic and temporal contexts. In addition to the field of art history, we also welcome submissions from cultural studies, medical history, and historiography. We are particularly interested in papers that extend beyond the geographic centers of Italy, England, and France or engage in cross-cultural studies.

Proposals should include the following:
- Paper title (15 words maximum)
- Abstract (200 words maximum)
- Brief CV (2 pages maximum)
- PhD or other terminal degree completion date (past or expected)
- Full name, current affiliation, and e-mail address

Please send proposals to both Sara Berkowitz (Sberkowitzwidener.edu) and Nicole Corrigan (Ncorrigemory.edu) no later than 11:59pm ET on Friday, July 14, 2023.

---

[2] New Perspectives in Italian Art
From: Ilaria Andreoli
Date: June 11, 2023

This session aims to create a space for emerging scholars (recent Ph.D.s or Ph.D. candidates) to present their work. The intention is to provide new scholars with a forum to present their ideas and methods, receive some mentorship in preparation for the panel, and have an opportunity to receive constructive feedback from senior scholars who will serve as respondents.

Proposals on any area of Italian early modern art (1300-1700) are welcome. We are particularly interested in scholars working in new methodologies, new areas of study, or innovative approaches to more traditional areas of Renaissance studies.

Paper proposals must include:
- paper title (15-word maximum)
- paper abstract (150-word maximum)
- resume (.pdf or .doc upload)
- PhD or other terminal degree completion year (past or expected)
- full name, current affiliation, and email address.

Please note:

Send all materials to Ilaria.Andreoligmail.com and Kelley.DiDiouvm.edu by July 15, 2023. We will notify applicants of their status on July 20. By July 30, those accepted will confirm and join RSA, if they are not already members.

If accepted, panelists will be expected to send their papers to the organizers and respondent six weeks before the conference (by February 9, 2024). Our intention is to provide feedback on the paper and allow time for changes in advance of the conference presentation.

Participants can only give one paper at the RSA conference, per RSA guidelines.

Speakers must become RSA members and register for the conference to speak at the conference.

Proposals must abide by the word limits and include all parts of submission requirements.

Papers are a maximum of 20 minutes in length (approx. 8-9 pages double-spaced, 10 pt font).

Ilaria Andreoli, (INHA, Paris) & Kelley Di Dio (University of Vermont, Burlington)

---

[3] The Fior di Virtù as a paneuropaic phenomenon
From: Angela Dressen
Date: June 14, 2023

The medieval prose collection Fior di Virtù, containing short stories with moral content, was widely known all over medieval and Early Modern Europe, having many translations and editions. The text served elementary reading purposes in household or school education. The Italian text and its numerous translations have often been illustrated with title images as well as comprehensive pictorial programs.
This panels seeks contributions regarding manuscripts and printed editions from all over Europe, focusing on any aspect regarding the Fior di Virtù, the text, the images, the social or educational context, a comparative view, the fortune and reception of the text in other media, in art works and literature.
Please send a max. 200 word abstract and a short CV by July 15 to Angela Dressen and Patrick Dooling. Participants need to be members of the RSA in the year of the conference. For further details see https://www.rsa.org/page/RSAChicago2024

Angela Dressen adressenitatti.harvard.edu
Patrick Dooling patrick.doolinguni-bonn.de

--