𝔚e have an update about next year's Society offerings at the International Congress on Medieval Studies! Of the four panels proposed, two were accepted; they are
Alternative Medievalisms against the Tolkienian Tradition–A Paper Session
While it is the case that Tolkien’s works are a primary lens through which contemporary popular culture views the medieval, it is far from the only such lens, and the English and European medieval from which Tolkien’s works borrow so extensively are not the only medievals to be found. This paper session seeks to examine how contemporary works employ medievalisms other than those commonly associated with the Tolkienian tradition, how that employment contrasts with that tradition, and how that contrast can better illuminate how current popular cultures understand, and *can* understand, the medieval in its multitudes.
Tolkien and Twenty-First Century Challenges–A Roundtable
That the works of Tolkien continue to be read and adapted decades after their publication bespeaks ongoing interest in those works and the continuing dialogue with the present in which those works engage. The proposed session seeks to examine how Tolkien’s works can be read against the backdrops of late-stage capitalism and hyper-concentration of wealth; resurgent authoritarianism, religious intolerance, and ethnocentrism; increasing precarity in many areas of endeavor, including but not limited to the academic; climate change; building tension between great-powers realignment and regional autonomy and independence; terrorism, state-sponsored and otherwise; and other issues of concern that occupy current attention.
News about what the mode of delivery will be--hybrid, online, or on-site--is yet forthcoming; as soon as we know, we'll let you know. Until then, get your abstracts (up to 300 words) ready; the formal CFP is set to open in mid-July, but we're always happy to look at things at talesaftertolkien@gmail.com. Send away!
Society members, please distribute widely!
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