Austmarr X.2

Bonn (via Zoom), 12-13 November 2021

Call for papers

NOTE: This CfP is superceded by the conference program, found here.

European Connections

Cultural transfer to and from the Baltic Sea Region

The 10th Austmarr symposium - part 2

Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Germany, (via Zoom), 12-13 November 2021

"Since prehistoric times, the Baltic Sea has functioned as a northern Mare nostrum, connecting the people who live on its shores in ways analogous to the more widely known Mediterranean Sea. Millennia of contacts have crucially shaped the languages, folklore, mythology, religions, technology, and institutions of the people in this part of the world." These are the first words of the recent volume edited by Maths Bertell, Frog, and Kendra Willson on Contacts and networks in the Baltic Sea region (2019) - a fruit of the Austmarr Network.

The 10th Austmarr symposium, (virtually) taking place in Bonn, will direct the focus toward connections between the Baltic Sea region and the wider world. How was the network of the Baltic Sea connected to the wider European network - and beyond? Which routes to the Baltic Sea connected people, facilitated trade, and transported not only goods but also new ideas? Which cultural contacts were established between the Iron Age and the beginning of the Hanseatic League? Where can we find traces and effects of these contacts? What products (e.g. artifacts, narratives) of cultural transfer are based on these contacts?

The conference will provide an interdisciplinary forum to discuss the transfer of goods, ideas, religions, and narratives to and from the Baltic Sea region. Topics may include but are not limited to:

  • Geographical and ethnological knowledge about the Baltic Sea region in historical and geographical accounts
  • Archaeological evidence for cultural contacts and cultural transfer
    • Trade routes, settlements and burial practices; assembly sites and cult places
    • Coastal trading places as a link between the European centers and the hinterland
  • Reactions to and interactions with consolidating states in adjacent areas
  • Narratives crossing linguistic borders
  • Religious practices and myths crossing linguistic borders
  • Crusades and missions

Conference

Austmarr X.2 is intended to keep up discussion within the network. All researchers (including Ph.D. student) who are interested in presenting their ideas or research results connected to these or similar topics are encouraged to submit proposals with a short abstract for 20-minute presentations (followed by 10 minutes of discussion) by 30 September 2021. If you presented at the virtual symposium in November 2020, you are welcome either to propose a completely new paper or to give us an update on your work.

The conference will be hosted by the Universität Bonn, Institut für Germanistik, Vergleichende Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaft, Abteilung für skandinavische Sprachen und Literaturen. Conference presentations will take place via Zoom. The hosts will also provide a room on the platform Wonder to give participants the opportunity to socialize in smaller groups.

Edited volume

There are still plans to gather a number of papers in an edited volume. The deadline for contributions would be 31 January 2022. For those who contributed to Austmarr X.1: please indicate by 30 September 2021 if you are still interested in contributing to the volume and if you would like to update or replace your abstract or use it as is.

Please send a preliminary title and short abstract to Sabine Walther, swalther (at) uni-bonn.de by 30 September 2021.