Mellon and Byzantine Colloquia bring distinguished scholars to campus once more

After a year of postponed colloquiua and a subsequent year of online-only meetings, the Medieval Institute was delighted to be able to host both of its annual spring colloquiua in person again.

On Friday, March 25, 2022, scholars gathered in the Medieval Institute for its twentieth annual Mellon Colloquium, a half-day public seminar in which its A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellows discuss their research with a panel of senior scholars. This year's Mellon Fellow, Professor Mohamad Ballan (Stony Brook), presented his book manuscript, Lord of the Pen and Sword: Genealogy and Sovereignty in the Medieval Islamic West, in conversation with Professors Antoine Borrut (University of Maryland), Ana Echevarría (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia), and Hussein Fancy (Yale University). The morning portion brought together speakers, Institute faculty fellows, and medievalist graduate students from across the university to hear the presentations and discuss Ballan's work together. In the afternoon, the speakers and Ballan convened again for a private discussion of his work. 

The following Friday, April 1, 2022, saw the Byzantinist community gathered, again in the main reading room, for the fourth annual Byzantine Postdoctoral Fellow Workshop, "Saints in Hymns, Homilies, and Hagiography." The institute's 2021–22 Byzantine Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Kosta Simic (Australian Catholic University), in residence during this academic year, presented his year's work on Byzantine saints along with responses from four distinguished discussants: Reverend Stefanos Alexopoulous (Catholic University of America), Professor Mary Cunningham (University of Nottingham), Dr. Maria-Lucia Goiana (University of Vienna), and Fr. Damaskinos Olkinuora (University of Eastern Finland).

The Medieval Institute wishes both of its fellows tremendous success as they revise their work, and move into publication, in light of the generous feedback from the invited speakers.