Austmarr X

European Connections

Cultural transfer to and from the Baltic Sea Region

The 10th Austmarr symposium

The 10th Austmarr symposium was originally planned to take place at Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Germany, 28-29 May, 2020. This was not meant to be. As planning future confernces remains difficult, we are organizing a virtual mini-conference on Friday, November 6, 2020. The program (pdf) is found here. If you are interested in participating, please contact Sabine Walther, swalther (at) uni-bonn (dot) de.

Original call for papers

The 10th Austmarr symposium, 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

Austmarr X is organized as a two-day event, followed by an excursion. 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).

The venue of the symposium will be the Universität Bonn, Institut für Germanistik, Vergleichende Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaft, Abteilung für skandinavische Sprachen und Literaturen.

Please share this CFP with anyone you think might be interested.

Please send a preliminary title and short abstract to Sabine Walther, swalther (at) uni-bonn.de by 20 November 2019.