The
e-Newsletter of the Texas Medieval Association (TEMA) - Fall/Winter 2005
Published by TEMA through the Department of Social Sciences at Northwestern
State University, Natchitoches, Louisiana 71497
Edited by Kent G. Hare khare@nsula.edu
In this Issue:
Report on TEMA 15, University of Houston
Past issues of Mirabilia: Summer
2005 | Winter 2004 |
Summer 2004 | Winter 2003 |
Summer 2003 | Winter 2002
Here, somewhat delayed by my own procrastination, is the latest issue of Mirabilia. Again, the bulk of the news is the report on the most recent conference in Houston. I still suffer from a dearth of any other submissions. Please submit any items of interest to me for the next issue by May 15, 2006, so I can feel more like an editor than a blogger!
Report on TEMA 15, University of Houston
Sally Vaughn and the University of Houston must be commended for hosting a splendid fifteenth annual meeting of the Texas Medieval Association on Friday and Saturday, the 14th and 15th of October. The conference centered in UH's newly remodeled M. D. Anderson Library and the UH Hilton Hotel. In conjunction with the Texas Medieval Conference, the UH Library hosted a wonderful exhibit of medieval manuscripts organized by UH medieval art historian Judith Steinhoff and her students. In addition to both originals and facsimiles of authentically medieval texts, just to show that the skills and expertise that went into the creation of our primary sources for the Middle Ages are not completely lost, the exhibit included a fine account of the recent legal case involving Martha Stewart in proper medieval form—including illuminated capitals and marginal decorations.
Renewal of acquaintances and friendships started on the Thursday evening before the beginning of sessions with a pre-conference gathering in one of the reception rooms at the Hilton. The first of a total 21 sessions comprising approximately 58 presentations convened Friday morning in the library and continued through Saturday afternoon. As usual, subjects varied widely from history and literature, both medieval and modern, to art, religion, and philosophy. Besides the expected number of scholars who made their way to Houston from every corner of Texas and the immediately surrounding states, presenters once more traveled from as far away as California, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania to be part of TEMA 15.
In addition to the smaller sessions, there were two plenary sessions as well as Sally Vaughn's presidential address. The first plenary session was held on Friday afternoon. John Friedman of the University of Illinois - Champagne-Urbana discussed "The Humor and Folly of the World in Odd Places: A Fifteenth-Century Manuscript Herbal." Later in the evening on Friday, Charles Radding of Michigan State University presented the second plenary session, considering "How Many Middle Ages? Periodization, the Problem of Transition, and the Disappearing Eleventh Century." Both speakers adopted a very interdisciplinary approach to their material. Radding's comments in particular inspired much subsequent discussion and commentary regarding the ever-present question of how to divide the Middle Ages, as well as the inevitable situation that several subsequent papers dealt with that "disappearing" eleventh century! In fact, Sally Vaughn followed the Saturday luncheon and business meeting with her presidential address, "Envisioning the Past in the [dare I say it, disappearing—ed.] Eleventh Century: Recollection, Restoration, Recapitulation, and Reenactment."
Don Kagay began the business meeting with a short retrospective marking TEMA's milestone fifteenth annual conference in Texas and thanking the various universities that have hosted us in the past or that are scheduled to host us in the future. He also reported that, as of the date of the conference in Houston, TEMA had approximately $9,985 in the bank. Regarding the first-ever TEMA tee-shirt (see Items of Interest below), Don announced that any profits generated would go to establish a fund to award some kind of financial assistance to graduate students presenting papers at future TEMA conferences. As for the future, meetings are scheduled as follows: TEMA 16 (2006) at Baylor; TEMA 17 (2007) at Texas A&M; and TEMA 18 (2008) at Texas Tech. In keeping with TEMA's custom, TEMA 19 (2009) was then scheduled for University of Texas-Austin by the election of Andy Villalon as the president of TEMA for that year. This happened in typical TEMA fashion - it happened so fast that although I noted that Ed Duncan nominated Andy, I missed who seconded the nomination before Tom Hanks moved that nominations be closed - and election occurred by acclamation. With that accomplished, the roster of officers now stands as follows for 2006:
- President: Tom Hanks, Baylor University
- First Vice President: Cary Nederman, Texas A&M University
- Second Vice President: John Howe, Texas Tech University
- Secretary-Treasurer: Don Kagay, Albany State University (Georgia)
- Webmaster: Edwin Duncan, Towson University (Maryland)
- Newsletter Editor: Kent Hare, Northwestern State University (Louisiana)
Arrangements for the perpetuation of the Texas Medieval Conferences having been made, Ed Duncan then presented our plenary speakers with honorary lifetime memberships in TEMA. (They also received complimentary tee-shirts.) Before her presidential address, Sally Vaughn extended thanks to all those who helped her in putting on this conference, especially her graduate students, and she reported that there were over a hundred attendees.
Tom Hanks, the new TEMA president for 2006, then formally announced next year's meeting at Baylor University in Waco, with tentative dates of Friday-Saturday, 6-7 October. He emphasized that we welcome papers by undergraduate and graduate students in addition to established scholars. He announced an informal theme for next year's conference—"Knights Behaving Badly" - but papers on any aspect of the Middle Ages or medieval studies are welcome as always. Finally, harking back to Don Kagay's appreciation expressed to all the Texas universities that have hosted TEMA over the years, Tom closed the business meeting by extending thanks on behalf of all the membership to what he called "the three central figures of TEMA," whom he likened to the three Persons of the Holy Trinity - Don himself (the Father), Ed Duncan (the Son—the Word—our webmaster), and Theresa Vann (the Holy Spirit).
Don Kagay reports these sessions sponsored by the Texas Medieval Association at the upcoming 41st International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, May 2006, along with the organizers:
1) "The Correspondence of St. Anselm," Sally Vaughn, University of Houston
2) "Friendship Networks and Spiritual Friendship," Sally Vaughn, University of Houston
3) "Peasant Revolts of the High and Later Middle Ages," Sally Vaughn, University of Houston
4) "Debates Concerning Peter Lombard and his Circle," Philipp Rosemann, University of Dallas
5) "Dana C. Munro, 'The Speech of Urban II at Clermont: A Centennial Celebration'," Paul Chevedden, Institute of Medieval Mediterranean Spain
6) "The Perception and Regulation of Mental Illness in the High and Later Middle Ages," Wendy Turner, Augusta State University
Irving Kelter sent word that the University of Wisconsin Press has published "a splendid volume" entitled Women Medievalists and the Academy, edited by Jane Chance. According to the UW Press website, included are "such figures such as Anna Jameson, Lina Eckenstein, Georgiana Goddard King, Eileen Power, Dorothy L. Sayers, Dorothy Whitelock, Susan Mosher Stuard, Caroline Walker Bynum, and others." Among the others is Pearl Kibre, one of Irving's teachers and the subject of his own contribution.
Don Kagay has been typically busy in the past year. Of his own activities he reports publication of the following: 1) The Hundred Years War: A Wider Focus. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2005; 2) War, Government, and Society in the Medieval Crown of Aragon, Variorum, 2006; 3) "A Government Besieged by Conflict: The Parliament of Monzon (1362-1363) as Military Financier," in Hundred Years War, pp. 117-50; 3) "A Shattered Circle: Eastern Spanish Urban Fortifications and their Repair during the War of the Two Pedros," Journal of Medieval Military History. 2 (2004): 111-35; 4) "Law and Memory: The Many Aspects of the Legal Inquisition in the Medieval Crown of Aragon," Anuario de Estudios Medievales 34 (2004): 52-77; and 5) "The Treason of Lord and Vassal; The Treason of Center and Periphery: The Uncertain Contest of Government and Individual in the Medieval Crown of Aragon," Mediterranean Studies 12 (2003): 17-35. Other of his articles will shortly appear in the Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians, the Catholic Historical Review, and the Journal of Military History. In the last academic year, Don has published reviews in the De Re Militari newsletter, The Journal of Military History, La Coronica, The American Historical Review, and Speculum. He has given papers at the Medieval Institute and Texas Medieval Association conference. He capped off the academic year with a research trip in March, 2005 to the Arxiu de la Corona d'Aragó in Barcelona, Spain.
I would also like to report a successful "mini-conference" here at Northwestern State University, a week after TEMA 15 in Houston. The third meeting of the Louisiana Consortium of Medieval and Renaissance Scholars was held on October 22, 2005. Including myself, one of the organizers, there were a couple of other familiar faces from TEMAs past who made their way to Natchitoches and presented papers - Mark Spencer of Southeastern Oklahoma State University and Rebecca Stephenson of the University of Louisiana at Monroe. One thing this experience did is make me appreciate even more the efforts of those who organize our own conferences every year.
In addition to serving as the somewhat dilatory editor of this TEMA newsletter, for the past year I have also been the "tee-shirt guy." I'm happy to say that the first-ever Texas Medieval Association tee-shirt went over well. We sold all the shirts that we brought to the conference and took orders then for about the same number as a second batch, which was mailed out in mid November - a total of about sixty shirts. I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank those who helped in the design and selling of the shirts. The idea was born over beer and food at a Mexican restaurant in Dallas at the end of TEMA 14, with the intention of celebrating the milestone of fifteen meetings in Texas. Among those in attendance were Peter Rabane, Peter Larkin, Ed Duncan, and Sally Vaughn - if I forgot anyone, I apologize. I don't remember whose idea it was, nor do I remember whose idea it was to go with "Don't Mess With Texas!" in Latin - but I would like to thank Peter Larkin for help in the translation. I'm not sure it's idiomatic, but in the context of an elongated Texas state flag like the famous bumper stickers, "Nolite Vexare Texam!" seems to scan even for those unfortunates who have not a lick of Latin. From that point, coming up with a simple design and getting it executed was fairly easy, but I would like to thank those mentioned above for their inspiration and help. Sally Vaughn and her cadre of University of Houston graduate students merit especial thanks for actually carrying out the process of selling the shirts at the conference and taking the orders for mailing. (I was unable to attend this year's post-conference gathering at Sally's home, so I don't know what schemes may have been hatched there—but I do have an idea for a TEMA 16 at Baylor tee-shirt . . . .)
Also along the tee-shirt line, however, I still have on hand four XL shirts for sale, first-come, first-serve, at the same price we were selling re-orders in Houston, $15+$4 packing/shipping. If you'd like one of them, email me at khare@nsula.edu.
Once
again, the other semi-annual issue of Mirabilia usually follows on the
International Congress on Medieval Studies held at Western Michigan University
in Kalamazoo each May.
This time, thanks to Mickey Abel of the University of North Texas, I don't have
to ask for volunteers to submit an account of TEMA participation at Kalamazoo.
Mickey provided a wonderful summation and commentary for last year, and has
graciously agreed to continue his "roving reporter" position and give
me something to fill this newsletter with come June. Thanks! This does not let
everyone else off the hook, though. If anyone else has any comments, observations,
etc., of the Zoo experience, drop me a line. In a wider sense, whatever news
you might have that might be of interest to your friends and colleagues - just
drop me a note at khare@nsula.edu. You
may notice I do get submissions from a few people, largely the same people each
time, and I am very grateful to them, but TEMA is a fair-sized organization
and I'm sure others have equally newsworthy accomplishments to report.
Finally, I would like once more to thank all those who made TEMA 15 possible, particularly Sally Vaughn and all the others at the University of Houston. It was a great conference! And thanks as always are due to Ed Duncan, whose computer skills maintain our website and make the publication of this newsletter possible.
Until next time — Kent