October 6, 2005
Clark and area institutions to host New England Medieval Conference October 22-23
WORCESTER, Mass.- Clark University, the Higgins Armory and the College of the Holy Cross are sponsoring the
2005 New England Medieval Conference, “Medieval Conflicts, Modern Concerns” on Saturday, October 22, and Sunday, October 23 at the Higgins Armory Museum. The conference, which traditionally hosts approximately 50 scholars and students from New England, has already attracted scholars from Israel and Egypt due to its focus on interactions among cultures such as Christianity, Islam, and the Byzantine world.
According to Clark English Professor SunHee Gertz, the primary goal of the conference is “to explore aspects of medieval culture that have fed into the crackling situation we find ourselves embroiled in today with respect to the three major religions, aspects that when historically understood may enable substantive dialogues and the sharing of spiritual, intellectual, and cultural wealth.” Professor Gertz is vice president of the Steering Committee and is one of the primary organizers of the conference.
Among other topics, the conference includes lectures on medieval medicinal practices, how information was disseminated and understood in medieval cultures, holy war and jihad between medieval Christians and Muslims, and the role of Jews in medieval Christian art. It begins at Higgins Armory at 8:30 a.m. with a welcome by
Kent dur Russell, executive director of the Higgins Armory Museum. Anisa
Mehdi, an internationally renowned expert on Islam and president of Whetstone Productions in NJ will present, “What if we had the WWW in the Middle Ages?” at 9 a.m., and
Clark English Professor Virginia Mason Vaughan will deliver “Medieval Dukes and Modern Problems” at 10:30 a.m.
Other conference speakers include Winthrop Wetherbee, Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities at Cornell University;
James Simpson, Professor of English and American Literature at Harvard University; and
Alain Touwaide, Historian of Sciences, Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution.
Conference attendees will witness a special joint performance of “Pointing Out” and “A Woman Taken in Adultery” at Clark’s Little Center Theater at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22.
“Pointing Out” is an original work based on the “Pointing Out Instructions” of Dzogchen Buddhism as authored by Ken Wilber. This piece, which takes place in the Little Center garden, builds on Buddhist teachings about attaining the highest state of consciousness by ‘pointing out’ certain common elements in everyday awareness. “A Woman Taken in Adultery,” a late medieval play based on a gospel story (earliest extant records show a performance in 1456), moves from condemnation to tolerance and forgiveness. The medieval play is rarely performed; Clark director Raymond Munro has tailored it in creative ways to link with the pointing out exercise and highlight conflicts among the three major religions.
The New England Medieval Conference (NEMC) was founded in 1974, by Professor Archibald Lewis of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. It serves as the regional association of the prestigious Medieval Academy for the New England area and is a member of the Committee on Centers and Regional Associations of the Medieval Academy.
Clark University President John Bassett became involved with the NEMC in 2002, when he organized and hosted a meeting to bring Clark faculty interested in medieval and early modern studies together with members of the Higgins Armory, the College of the Holy Cross, Assumption College, and Worcester State College with similar interests. There, the Medieval and Early Modern Forum (MEMF) was formed. The forum works to encourage studies of the medieval and early modern periods.
Advance registration for the NEMC is recommended. Visit www.higgins.org for a conference schedule, brochure, and registration form. Please contact Tara Young, director of education at the Higgins Armory Museum at 508-853-6015, ext.15 or tyoung@higgins.org for more information.
Clark University is a private, co-educational liberal-arts research university with 2,000 undergraduate and 600 graduate students. Since its founding in 1887 as the first all-graduate school in New England, Clark has challenged convention with innovative programs such as the International Studies Stream, the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the five-year BA/MA programs with the fifth year tuition-free for eligible students.
Angela M. Bazydlo
Associate Director of Media Relations
Clark University
Worcester, Mass.
phone: 508-793-7635
www.clarku.edu
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