The Haskins Society News

44th Annual Conference Call for Papers

Steven Isaac — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 18:32:53 GMT

The Society is happy to announce the upcoming international conference, to be hosted by the University of Miami, 14-16 November 2025. The Call for Papers is here and yes, the clock is ticking... :-)

43rd Annual Conference Call for Papers

Steven Isaac — Tue, 07 May 2024 22:19:19 GMT

The Haskins Society is excited to announce the dates of the 43rd Annual International Conference (13-15 November 2024) and the Call for Papers. Come join us in Richmond, VA, for our third year in the Old Dominion.

Bachrach Medieval Studies Award

Steven Isaac — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 16:43:11 GMT

It is perfectly appropriate that there should be a "campaign" in memory of Bernard Bachrach, whom we lost earlier in 2023. The University of Minnesota has announced the establishment of an Award in Medieval Studies and Military History to honor Prof. Bachrach's long career as a scholar, teacher, and mentor.

As one of the Society's founding members, as well as a presenter, officer, and ready participant in the Q&A following any paper, Bernie's legacy in the society remains alive and well. Current members of the Haskins Society, ever-mindful of how leading scholars like Bernie provided a welcome to young researchers, look forward to new contributions by future awardees.

Donations may be directed to: https://z.umn.edu/BachrachMedieval.

Questions may be directed to Prof. Juliette Cherbuliez, Director, Center for Pre-Modern Studies (cherbuli@umn.edu).

Book Launch: Borders & the Norman World (13 Dec 2023)

Steven Isaac — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 23:49:55 GMT

The First Generations of the Conquest

Steven Isaac — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 21:12:44 GMT

The Maison Française d'Oxford is hosting a Symposium, 22-23 September, on "The First Generations of the Conquest: Norman Worlds, 9th-12th Centuries.

For full details and the schedule of papers being presented, visit the MFO's website.

According to the MFO, "This conference will address the notion of “first generations” in relation to the medieval Norman conquests in England, Wales, Ireland, southern Italy, Sicily, and the Crusader states. Focusing on the conquerors’ departure from their places of origin, the papers will explore the rhythms, modalities, reasons and objectives for leaving."

Hyams Mentorship Award

Steven Isaac — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 14:22:52 GMT

The Haskins Society has the pleasure and privilege to announce a new award for mentorship, in honor of our late and deeply missed colleague Paul Hyams. Details for the award, endowed by the Hyams family, can be found under the news tab above or by following this direct link. Anyone wishing to give directly to the Fund both for its maintenance and to grow it for future awardees, can contribute directly to it via our support pages.

The purpose of the award is to honor and to continue the legacy of mentoring graduate students and early career researchers that Paul himself modeled and which he made a integral part of the Society's mission during his years of leadership.

Conference Dates: 3-5 Nov 2023

Steven Isaac — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 15:53:30 GMT

The dates for the 2023 International Conference of the Haskins Society have been finalized: 3-5 November. We will gather again in Richmond, VA for another program packed full of scholarship, collegiality, and professional development. The Call for Papers will soon be distributed far and wide, so feel free to get your ideas and proposals ready!

In Memoriam: Paul Hyams

Steven Isaac — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 03:06:45 GMT

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the death of Dr. Paul R. Hyams, a longtime friend and supporter of the Haskins Society. Paul was the President of the Haskins Society from 2006 to 2009. He hosted the Annual Haskins Society Conference at Cornell University from 1998 to 2003.

Paul studied at Oxford, Worcester College, and graduated (DPhil) in 1968. He spent the next 20 years at Pembroke College as a Fellow and Tutor in History. In 1989, he moved to New York, and spent the balance of his career as professor of history at Cornell University. He was the director of Cornell’s Medieval Studies Program from 2001-2007 and director of the Cornell Program for Law and Society from 1992-1997. He retired to Oxford in 2013.

Hyams’ scholarly work focused on law and its social effects. His influential works include Kings, Lords, and Peasants in Medieval England (1980) and Rancor and Reconciliation in Medieval England: Wrong and its Redress from the Tenth to Thirteenth Centuries (2003). These, along with numerous articles and book chapters, changed our perception of feuding, justice and law in the Middle Ages.

Hyams was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and as a Corresponding Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America. In 2014, he was honored with a special issue of Reading Medieval Studies, Law’s Dominion in the Middle Ages: Essays for Paul Hyams.

Perhaps most importantly for those of us in the Haskins Society, Paul was a mentor and friend to many graduate students and early career historians. An Oxbridge-educated Jewish Yorkshireman, Paul understood what it meant to be an ‘outsider’. Perhaps because of this, he was a stalwart supporter of those of us who, through some misadventure, had no mentor or traditional advisor; he was our champion.

Paul was intellectually incorrigible. No assumption was off-limits, no question too obscure. He delighted in pushing established scholars into unexpected philosophical corners, yet was supportive and careful of younger historians. Because of his approach, he made the Haskins Society welcoming to generations of early career scholars. For this we will always be grateful.

Paul is survived by his wife Elaine, daughter Deborah and son David. Paul died on Dec 4, 2022. He was 82 years old.

Adaptations & Events : COVID-19

Steven Isaac — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 19:27:00 GMT

In line with academic institutions and organizations worldwide, our first priority has been to keep all our colleagues as safe as possible. To that end, sadly, we made an early decision to cancel our traditional Oct/Nov conference.

Since then, however, we have participated like so many in numerous courses and a growing number of virtual conferences via Zoom and similar platforms. Gratefully harnessing the opportunities afforded by the Web, the Haskins Society has continued its mission of furthering research and aiding the careers of young scholars.

Summer Workshop: Perspectives on Teaching the Middle Ages

On Thursday, 23 July, the Society hosted a 2-panel webinar on topics that members have expressed interest in:

Medieval Contexts/Contemporary Problems: A Panel on Teaching Race, Violence, Disease, and Protest in Medieval Courses
Teaching the Crusades Virtually

These sessions were recorded and will soon be available here on the website.

2020 (virtual) Conference: 31 October/1 November

Planning for the 2020 Annual Conference is now underway, and more detailed announcements will soon follow. In the meantime, the Society has issued its Call for Papers, with a 25 August deadline for those proposals.

2019 Call for Papers

Steven Isaac — Thu, 16 May 2019 22:09:05 GMT

The Society is soliciting papers for the 38th annual international conference! Check out the Call for Papers either here on the website, or download the PDF. The deadline for proposals is 10 July.

Haskins Society Journal 29 now available

William North — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 09:49:53 GMT

The Haskins Society Journal 29 (2016) is now available and will be shipping to members of the Society in coming weeks.

Anglo-Norman Studies 40 (2017) is also available and Society members who also ordered ANS will receive their volumes in the next weeks.

Questions about journals? Please contact Laura Gathagan (Editor HSJ) or William North (Associate Editor).

"Gender, Memory, and Documentary Culture, 900-1200"

Steven Isaac — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 21:21:14 GMT

The Haskins Society is co-sponsoring a conference with the John Rylands Research Institute, which will be held at the John Rylands Library, Manchester, UK, 28-29 June 2019. The conference theme is "Gender, Memory, and Documentary Culture, 900-1200." The call for papers is now available here on the Haskins Website, and anyone wanting further information can contact the organizers, Laura Gathagan or Charles Insley.

Haskins at Kalamazoo

Steven Isaac — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 21:40:59 GMT

As ever, the Haskins Society will be on hand at the (53rd) International Congress on Medieval Studies, 10-13 May 2018. Besides our sponsorship of a panel (#328 New Voices in Medieval History), individual members are presenting across a bevy of other sessions, covering themes in diplomatic and political history, gender, urban history, the digital Middle Ages, sermons, the espiscopate, and yes, charters!

Haskins Conference Registration is Open!

Steven Isaac — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 20:55:17 GMT

Registration is open for the 36th International Conference of the Haskins Society (3-5 November), plus links are active to Conference Lodgings, the 2017 program, and local info around the UNC campus. Register before 20 October for the conference discount.

Editor's old computer turned inside out...

Steven Isaac — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 21:37:00 GMT

Popular demand has been asking that more of Morillo's cartoons be put back in circulation. Decrepit old disk drives have been cracked open by IT magic, and lo, we've doubled the number of offenses against good taste that make Morillo gleeful. Please enjoy these flashbacks to the Anglo-Norman Anonymous.

Medieval positions advertising, including this one...

Steven Isaac — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 20:58:13 GMT

The Haskins Society has learned--with sadness for ourselves and pleasure for him--that Prof. Richard Abels (who needs no introduction in these circles!) plans to retire at the end of the 2016-17 academic year. The US Naval Academy has begun advertising the post, and Dr. Abels asked that we help the effort by posting the announcement here as well.

From the ad: "The History Department at the United States Naval Academy is seeking applicants to fill tenure-track positions at the Assistant Professor level in Medieval and Early Modern European History beginning August 2017. USNA is a service academy and top-tier liberal arts college with a demonstrated commitment to excellence in faculty teaching and research.

"Successful candidates will be expected to teach the first half of the Naval Academy’s core comparative civilization sequences, as well as upper level courses in their areas of specialty. The teaching load is 3-3 with small section sizes and two to three preps a year."

The full advertisement, including minimum requirements and the steps for how to apply are at the USNA's website: https://www.usna.edu/HRO/jobinfo/HistoryAsstProf-17.php.

Medieval Academy of America Honors Nicholas Paul's book To Follow in their Footsteps: The Crusades and Family Memory in the High Middle Ages

Steven Isaac — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 21:21:19 GMT

The Medieval Academy of America has announced that Nicholas Paul's first book, To Follow in their Footsteps: The Crusades and Family Memory in the High Middle Ages is one of the 2016 winners of the John Nicholas Brown Prize. In selecting Paul's work, the MAA described the study as offering "an original investigation into collective memory in the first crusading century. Paul draws upon widely-ranging sources (texts and material objects) in family history, anthropology, literary theory and sociology to illuminate the historical context and dynastic narratives of the Crusades. His conclusion about the failure of Henry II of England and Alfonso II of Aragon 'to take the cross' brings the study to a well-defined and compelling conclusion."

The MAA's website notes that "The John Nicholas Brown Prize, established by the Medieval Academy of America in 1978, is awarded annually for a first book or monograph on a medieval subject judged by the selection committee to be of outstanding quality."

The Haskins Society salutes Nicholas Paul's achievement! It mirrors his outstanding contributions to the society's council and participation in the annual conference.

Beyond Exceptionalism

Steven Isaac — Sat, 09 May 2015 03:52:45 GMT

This interdisciplinary conference (18-19 Sept 2015) aims to foster new avenues and interpretations of elite women and power in the high medieval period, c. 11oo-c. 1400 to move the field "beyond exceptionalism."

Guest Speakers will be: Miriam Shadis (Ohio University) & Theresa Earenfight (Seattle
University)

For further details, including the full program and registration information, see the Conference Page , or contact Heather Tanner.

Competition Open for 2015 Marjorie Chibnall Essay Prize

Steven Isaac — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 19:04:02 GMT

In her guise as Secretary of the R. Allen Brown Memorial Trust, Caroline Palmer informs us that the 2015 competition for the Marjorie Chibnall Essay Prize has opened. Doctoral students or very recent PhDs are encouraged to submit an unpublished scholarly paper for consideration. The paper must be focused on the Anglo-Norman world and demonstrate original research. The winning paper will be accorded a place at the 2015 Battle Confererence (and publication in Anglo-Norman Studies) and the author will receive "reasonable travel expenses" to attend the conference.

The paper should be written in English, between 6,000 to 7,000 words in length (excluding footnotes), and follow the usual scholarly conventions of Anglo-Norman Studies. It should be emailed to the following address: chibnallprize@sendtodropbox.com; the file should be named using the protocol of (candidate’s) lastname_firstname.mcp2015.

The deadline for submissions has been extended to 2 March 2015, with the prize winner announced in April 2015. For more information on submission criteria and related rules, see the full prize announcement here.

Haskins Society Journal 25 is available!

Steven Isaac — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 19:27:32 GMT

The editors of the Haskins Society Journal and Boydell & Brewer are pleased to announce that the 25th edition of the journal is now available. Further information on the volume is available at the Boydell website. Many of the society's traditional fields of research are featured, including studies of kingship, charters, historiographical developments both modern and medieval, plus Vikings, women in warfare, and Gerald of Wales. Volume 25 covers the 2012 Annual Conference, plus Haskins-sponsored sessions at Kalamazoo and Leeds.

Second Annual American Conference on Medieval Archaeology

Steven Isaac — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 20:55:02 GMT

The Second Annual American Conference on Medieval Archaeology is being held at SUNY Cortland this Saturday, 18 October. Sponsored by the Dept. of Sociology-Anthropology, the conference's schedule indicates a number of topics of likely interest to Haskins Society members: reports on digs in England and Ireland, the culture of food, Viking swords and ships, Anglo-Saxon iron-working, and slightly further afield, Byzantine and Crusading topics. The final schedule is here at the Haskins website, and further information on registration and directions can be found at Scott Stull's pages on academia.edu.

Haskins Annual Conference Program and Online Registration Now Available

William North — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 17:53:06 GMT

The 33rd Annual Conference of the Haskins Society will be held at Carleton College in Northfield, MN on 7-9 November 2014. The Conference Program is now available here and online registration can be found here. We look forward to seeing you in November!

Haskins Society Journal Volume 23 (2011) is now in print!!!

William North — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 16:58:29 GMT

The topics of the essays it contains range from the curious place of Francia in the historiography of medieval Europe to strategies of royal land distribution in tenth-century Anglo-Saxon England to the representation of men and masculinity in the works of Anglo-Norman historians. Essays on the place of polemical literature in Frutolf of Michelsberg's Chronicle, exploration of the relationship between chivalry and crusading in Baudry of Bourgeuil's History, and Cosmas of Prague's manipulation of historical memory in the service of ecclesiastical privilege and priority each extend the volume's engagement with medieval historiography, employing rich continental examples to do so. Investigations of comital personnel in Anjou and Henry II's management of royal forests and his foresters shed new light on the evolving nature of secular governance in the twelfth centuries and challenge and refine important aspects of our view of medieval rule in this period. The volume ends with a wide-ranging reflection on the continuing importance of the art object itself in medieval history and visual studies.

2014 Membership Renewal Form

Steven Isaac — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 20:20:34 GMT

An updated Membership Form is now available to download. We remind everyone that membership in the Society now coincides with the calendar year. Complete instructions for membership renewal are on the form, along with contact information for the relevant treasurer in the US, the UK, or Japan.

2012 Speaker Featured on www.medievalists.net

Steven Isaac — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 17:56:02 GMT

Angela Boyd, an associate consultant with Oxford Archaeology, gave a gripping (and at times, almost too vivid) talk at the 2012 Haskins Conference. Our colleagues over at www.medievalists.net have given her presentation a spotlight on their website. Be sure to scroll down and check out the video feeds that Peter Konieczny has included.

New Website Under Development

Steven Isaac — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 23:30:00 GMT

As you can see, the Haskins Society is anything but dead! We are re-launching our website in its entirety with both new content, but more importantly, more functionality and interactivity. Stay tuned for more updates, because they are coming!