Organized by the Institute of National History, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje and University of Bologna, in partnership with Faculty of Theology “St. Clement of Ohrid” in Skopje
The International scientific symposium “Days of Justinian I” is an annual interdisciplinary scholarly forum aimed at the presentation of the latest research followed by discussions on various aspects of Byzantine and Medieval Studies before 1500; this includes the treatment and interpretation of cultural, historical and spiritual heritage in contemporary modern Europe. The Symposium is dedicated to Emperor Justinian I with the aim to bring together scholars from around the world to address a broad range of issues related to Byzantium and the European Middle Ages, comprising the exploration of the cultural and historical legacy as an integrative component of the diversities and commonalities of Europe and wider. Dimitri Obolensky’s vision of a ‘Commonwealth’ encompassed those polities and cultures whose elites accepted and adapted Christian doctrine, rites and normative texts from the imperial-ecclesiastical complex in Constantinople. This could be seen as a form of ‘Soft Power’, a term coined at the time of the spread of American culture through consumerism, mass- entertainment, and normative institutions in the twentieth century. We welcome critiques and revisions of the concept, alongside comparisons with other ‘empires’ shading into ‘commonwealths’ and vice versa – for example, the ‘Holy Roman’ and British empires, Kyivan Rus, or indeed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Might a conceptual update of Obolensky’s Commonwealth be the ‘Variable-Geometry-Empire’, exercising varying degrees of control, shifting geographically but also extraterritorially, in terms of political, personal, and religious networks? ‘Commonwealth’ might even be applied to internal affairs: behind its insistently classicising façade, was Byzantium itself more of a Commonwealth than homogeneous unitary state? Should one see the imperial-ecclesiastical complex’s outreach mainly in terms of a ‘Family of Princes’, a matter of political and religious elites? Or was there down-reach to much broader social strata? And how far did persons, texts, imagery and ideas circulate around the Commonwealth, regardless of the imperial leadership’s directions or wishes? Archaeological evidence, museum artefacts and visual imagery may help us answer these latter questions.
Please note that the Organizing Committee will organize hybrid sessions with physical presence and online presentations for remote participation.
We welcome papers addressing any of these broad themes, specific topics or questions, or on the issues in the bullet- points below. Interdisciplinary offerings are also welcome.
⊕ The Byzantine Commonwealth:
o definitions
o critiques – ‘Hot Air’?
o geographical limits or shadings
o visual expressions
o archaeological evidence
o texts
o faith and heresy
o circulating men and women
o elite-only, or wider down-reach?
⊕ Tsargrad and/or Mount Athos – centre(s) of Commonwealth
⊕ Was Byzantium itself a Commonwealth?
⊕ Decentring Byzantium
⊕ Commonwealths and creaking Empires
⊕ Other commonwealths
⊕ Soft Power
o deliberate projection (Byzantium’s diplomacy of hospitality)
o unintentional projection
o reception: wholesale adoption, adaptation, or fragmentation?
⊕ Networks and Rhizome Theory
⊕ Zomias
First Deadline for submitting the abstract of the papers: 10 August, 2024. Second Deadline for submitting the abstract of the papers: 1 October, 2024. Notification of acceptance for early applicants: 15 August, 2024. Notification of acceptance for other applicants: 5 October, 2024. Deadline for submitting the full papers for publication: 1 March, 2025. Please send the online application form via our website https://daysofjustinian.com/applications/ or to the following address: days.justinian@gmail.com Presentation of the papers will be limited to 10 minutes. Working languages: Macedonian and English. No participation fee is required. Travel and accommodation expenses are covered by the participants themselves. The excursion will be held on November 3rd and will be covered by the organizer. Papers delivered at the Symposium will be published in the Proceedings of the Symposium. The papers submitted will be peer-reviewed before publication. For further inquiries you can contact the Organizing Committee at: days.justinian@gmail.com Please check the website https://daysofjustinian.com and https://www.facebook.com/days.justinian for news on the Symposium, the agenda, special events etc.
Symposiarch: Professor Mitko B. Panov
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Institute of National History, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje
University of Bologna
Theological Faculty “St. Clement”, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje
Prof. Mitko B. Panov
Prof. Giuseppe Maino
Prof. Donatella Biagi Maino
Prof. Gjoko Gjorgjevski
Prof. Dragan Gjalevski
Dr. Damjan Donev
Dr. Emel Sherif Miftar (Assistant)
Dr. Armen Zharnovski (Assistant)
Dr. Maciej Helbig
INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
Prof. Dr. Mitko B. Panov, Institute of National History, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje
Prof. Giuseppe Maino, University of Bologna
Prof. Florin Curta, University of Florida
Prof. Carolyn S. Snively, Gettysburg College
Prof. Donatella Biagi Maino, University of Bologna
Acad Vitomir Mitevski, Macedonian Academy of Science and Arts
Prof. Elizabeta Dimitrova, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje
Dr. Andrew Roach, Glasgow University
Prof. Hrvoje Gračanin, University of Zagreb
Prof. Georgi G. Nikolov, University of Sofia
Prof. Gordana Siljanovska, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje
Prof. Gjoko Gjorgjevski, Faculty of Theology “St. Clement of Ohrid”, Skopje
Prof. Vlada Stanković, University of Belgrade
Prof. Lukasz Rozycki, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan
Prof. Viktor Lilčić, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje
Prof. Dragan Gjalevski, Institute of National History, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje
Prof. Ivanka Dodovska, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje
Prof. Aleksandar Spasenovski, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje
Prof. Mišo Dokmanović, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje