36.1711, Calls: 3rd AIFG Doctoral Conference (Italy)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-36-1711. Mon Jun 02 2025. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 36.1711, Calls: 3rd AIFG Doctoral Conference (Italy)

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Date: 30-May-2025
From: Associazione Italiana Filologia Germanica [convegnophd at aifg.it]
Subject: 3rd AIFG Doctoral Conference


Full Title: 3rd AIFG Doctoral Conference
Theme: Cultural Syncretism in the Literary Traditions of Medieval
Europe

Date: 10-Dec-2025 - 12-Dec-2025
Location: Bologna, Italy

Linguistic Field(s): History of Linguistics; Ling & Literature;
Translation
Subject Language(s): Middle English (1100-1500) (enm)
                     Middle High German (ca. 1050-1500) (gmh)
                     Old English (ca. 450-1100) (ang)
                     Old High German (ca. 750-1050) (goh)
                     Old Norse (non)
Language Family(ies): Germanic

Call Deadline: 13-Jun-2025

Call for Papers:
The concept of syncretism can broadly define all those phenomena of
cultural mixing resulting from the encounter – or clash – between
different cultures and civilizations. This process affects
transversally and in a bidirectional way the societies involved,
usually modifying their beliefs, memories, value systems and artistic
productions.
In the history of the Germanic peoples, episodes of syncretism occur
constantly. From the first contacts with Rome (2nd century BC),
through the period of the Völkerwanderung and the establishment of the
Barbarian kingdoms (4th–6th centuries AD), the occasions and examples
of cultural hybridization were numerous. The Germanic populations that
settled in the territories previously controlled by the Western Roman
Empire adapted relatively quickly to the dominant Latin culture,
without however completely forgetting their own roots.
A decisive catalyst in acculturative terms were Christian missionary
activities, which, between the 4th and 11th centuries, led to the
conversion of the pagan people of Germanic ancestry, allowing them
access to a community with shared and well-defined cultural
connotations. Latin, the lingua franca of the ecclesiastical and
intellectual spheres of Christendom, was taught basing on models such
as Virgil and other classical authors, along with their imitators and
epitomists. Therefore, in the Middle Ages classical culture acted on
the one hand as a substratum that the conquering people had never been
able to eradicate, on the other as a superstratum, albeit in an
“artificial” form, since it derived from a canonisation for
educational purposes.
>From a literary point of view, this peculiar circumstance resulted in
the production of adaptations in the Germanic languages of works whose
authorship by ‘Roman[s] by descent’ is made explicit, but also of
works that seemingly are not derived from the classics. In them, it is
possible to observe motifs and topoi, which, although readapted, were
already present in widely circulating Latin works; a well-known case
study regards Virgilian influences in Beowulf. More direct influences
of the Church work can be found in texts where distinctly Christian
elements surface alongside others derived from the Classical and
Germanic heritage, such as the Old High German Muspilli, the Old Saxon
Heliand, and the Latin Waltharius. Contacts with Rome were by no means
an isolated instance: throughout the Middle Ages the Germanic peoples
interacted in various ways with the Celtic world as well. This began
as early as the 5th and 6th centuries, with the Anglo-Saxon invasion
of the British Isles and the beginning of the evangelization carried
out by Irish monks in the Rhine region, continuing during the
formation of the Norse-Gaelic Kingdoms during the Viking Age
(790–1066).
It is also worth mentioning the interaction between the Norsemen and
the people of France; a notable case is that of Rollo and the
establishment of the Duchy of Normandy in the 10th century, or the
impact later exerted by the French courtly culture on the literature
of the Germanic-speaking world. Some examples can be found in the
Minnesänger, the Riddarasǫgur, the Middle High German translations of
chivalric romances, etc.
Medieval Germanic literature displays significant influences and
exchanges with the Romance tradition. The Strasbourg Oaths (842),
composed in both Old French and Old High German, are particularly
significant in this regard. Linguistic coexistence is further
evidenced by bilingual manuscripts, as exemplified by works such as
the Sequence of Saint Eulalia and the Ludwigslied. From the 12th
century onwards, the German-speaking regions incorporated several
French traditions, including the Arthurian and Carolingian epics, as
well as the Roman d’Alexandre.
The Slavic sphere should not be overlooked when considering Eastern
Europe, given the well-documented interactions between Scandinavian
adventurers and the peoples of Kievan Rus’ as well as the longstanding
expansionist ambitions of the Danish crown and the Teutonic Order
towards the Baltic region, exemplified by the Northern Crusades (12th
–13th centuries). Furthermore, within the Byzantine context, it is
essential to acknowledge the crucial role of the Eastern Roman Empire
in the conversion of the Goths, as well as the prominence attributed
in both Norse and Byzantine sources to the Varangians, the
Scandinavian-origin bodyguards of the emperors of Constantinople.
Phenomena of syncretism are not confined solely to the literary
domain. In the legal sphere, theancient Germanic customary law,
originally oral and unwritten, underwent significant transformation
under the influence of Roman legislation and ecclesiastical authority,
which led to its codification. In certain contexts, this process
resulted in a diminished emphasis on the principle of personal legal
status in favour of territoriality, a shift aimed at facilitating the
peaceful coexistence of ethnically diverse groups.
>From a linguistic perspective, the contribution of Germanic peoples to
Romance languages was realised with varying intensity; for example, it
was negligible in Romanian but conspicuous in French, whose vocabulary
was enriched by Franco-Germanic influence. In Italy, the Germanic
influence stems from later incursions and settlements, although some
borrowings are already documented in the late imperial period. Most
terms spread between the 6th and 9th centuries, due to the
introduction of words of Gothic origin by the Ostrogoths and despite
Theoderic’s use of Latin in administration. Subsequently, the Lombards
also made a significant contribution to the Italian lexical
repertoire, as evidenced by place names.
Instances of cultural syncretism can be traced not only in strictly
literary works but also in the form of transmedial interactions,
referring to “transmediality” as an interplay of different media. For
instance, the Ruthwell Cross and the Franks Casket feature sequences
of images and runic inscriptions that evoke diverse cultural and
literary traditions of Germanic, classical, and Biblical origin.
We welcome contributions dealing with literary works featuring
phenomena of syncretism between Germanic elements and other European
traditions. In particular, we invite to submit studies on the
reciprocal influences between Germanic cultures and other literary
traditions of the European Middle Ages and the modalities in which
they have shaped new symbolic, narrative and poetic languages.
We encourage submissions that highlight dynamics of cultural exchange,
transformations of identities and possible reinterpretations of
Germanic myths and legends through the encounter with other
traditions, such as Celtic, Slavic, Greco-Byzantine, Classical,
Christian etc.
Investigations based on transmedial approaches are also accepted, on
the condition that they be based on a rigorous philological analysis
of the literary sources.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Please send an abstract of no more than 2000 characters (including
spaces), accompanied by a short bibliography and a brief biographical
note, to the e-mail address convegnophd at aifg.it by Friday, 13th June
2025 (23:59 CET).
The call is open to all PhD students and PhDs who obtained the title
from March 2023 onwards in the fields of Medieval philology and
linguistics (Germanic, Latin, Romance, Slavic, Celtic philology and
linguistics, etc.). The call is also extended exceptionally to
scholars who have begun a research fellowship no earlier than 2023.
Each speaker will have a maximum of 20 minutes for their presentation,
which will be followed by 10 minutes of discussion.
Acceptance will be notified via e-mail address convegnophd at aifg.it no
later than 15th July 2025 (23:59 CET). Following the conference, the
contributions accepted by the scientific committee will be considered
for publication and subjected to a double-blind peer review process.
Working Languages: Italian, English, German.
Head of the Scientific Committee: Prof. Alessandro Zironi.
Scientific Committee: Prof. Alessandro Zironi, Salvatore Caccamo,
Nicola Pennella, Martina Andriani, Andreea M. Toma, Stefano Ghiroldi.
Organising Committee: Salvatore Caccamo, Nicola Pennella, Martina
Andriani, Andreea M. Toma, Stefano Ghiroldi.



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