Medieval Cultural Heritage Around the Globe:
Monuments, Literature, and the Arts, Then and Now
Binghamton University – October 23–24, 2020
The field of cultural heritage has experienced a great increase in scholarly and media attention in
recent years. Events such as the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials have made
evident how controversial cultural heritage can be, and the central role it plays in defining
communal identities at all levels, from small villages to multi-state entities, such as colonial
empires or, more recently, the United States and the European Union. This interdisciplinary
conference, hosted by the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CEMERS) at
Binghamton University will explore cultural heritage, broadly conceived, as it relates to the
global Middle Ages (c.500 – c.1500). Topics will range from medieval approaches to the cultural
heritage inherited or claimed by medieval societies, to the transformation of medieval heritage
through the centuries, to the yearning for medieval times that has inspired, in the modern era, the
architecture of university campuses, the rebuilding of Japanese castles to assert communal
identity, and the revival of traditional crafts, among others.
This conference aims to bring together scholars from a range of backgrounds whose work sheds
important new light on our relationship with the medieval past. We hope to foster conversations
across traditional disciplinary and geographic boundaries about the definitions, cultural
significance, and use of cultural heritage in disparate parts of the medieval and modern worlds.
How does examining conceptions and problems related to cultural heritage inform our
understanding of medieval cultures? How does modern engagement with the medieval past shape
debates about power, identity and belonging? What determines how heritage is defined and what
merits preservation? What is the state of medieval heritage today?
We invite papers from a variety of disciplinary and methodological perspectives on any topic
related to cultural heritage and the Middle Ages, including:
Medieval heritage and identity in the early modern and modern worlds
Trafficking in and questions surrounding the restitution of cultural artifacts
Heritage across borders and global diasporas
Cultural heritage sites connected to legends, literature, and theater
Pilgrimage and tourism
Issues of representation and exclusion
UNESCO and the handling of medieval cultural heritage
Literature and film tourism at heritage sites
Violence, atrocity, and difficult heritage
Heritage-making and cultural appropriation
Heritage and communities
Cultural heritage in the digital world