Early Career Workshop.
The new research series, 'Cultures of Air in the Premodern World' invites expressions of interest for its inaugural workshop hosted by Monash University’s Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CMRS) at Palazzo Vaj in Prato, Italy on Friday 17th November 2023. As the basis for the very conditions of life on earth, the air has been managed, harnessed, conceived of, and addressed across geographies and cultures, in relation to crises and as well as in times of sustainability, it has accrued spiritual and religious dimensions, stimulated specific technologies, been the focus of medical practices as well as philosophical speculation, and generated iconospheres that reach across visual, material, and literary production. With a focus on the premodern world, this research series seeks to investigate changes and adaptations in the knowledge and representation of the air from global and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Expressions of interest are invited for 10-minute papers focused on topics including, but not limited to: scientific, medical, and philosophical conceptions of the air; technologies of the air; the air in theology; the air in literature; visual and material depictions of the air; animals of the air (real or imagined); air and architecture; and air and civic practice in the premodern period, broadly construed.

To apply for participation, please send a single pdf file including a short abstract outlining your area of contribution (max 250 words) and an academic bio (max 300 words) that explains your scholarly background and the relevance of your research interests to the series, by Monday 9th October. This workshop is the first of several encounters that will lead to the publication of an edited volume, to which participants may be invited to contribute. Up to six travel bursaries of €100 are available for HDR and ECR participants to attend the workshop in person.

To submit an application please email rose.byfleetmonash.edu or rebecca.bowenkhi.fi.it by Monday 9th October.