Call for Papers: Totally (Ab)normal?! Bodily Norms and Body Metaphors in Medieval Latin Literature
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11. February 2026
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Call for papers
Totally (Ab)normal?!
Bodily Norms and Body Metaphors in Medieval Latin Literature
Workshop
Göttingen, 4–5 September 2026
Submission Deadline: 15 February 2026
The human body stands at the centre of medieval European culture, serving as a fundamental point of reference for social, scientific, and theological reflection. Conceptions of bodies permeate diverse spheres of medieval life and learning, and they continue to shape discourses on bodies today—whether in political theory, social history, gender studies, or literary scholarship.
In medieval literature, bodies are rarely depicted in a purely descriptive manner; rather, they are evaluated with reference to explicit or implicit norms. Categories such as “well-formed”, “ugly”, “ill”, “deformed”, or “monstrous” constitute the vocabulary of this evaluative process. Since antiquity, conformity to—or deviation from—an idealised exterior has often been linked to the disposition of the “inner” self. At the same time, representations of the body frequently serve figurative or allegorical purposes.
The workshop explores this distinctly literary mode of conceptualisation, which brings
together body metaphors and the normative evaluation of bodies.
We particularly encourage proposals that combine close textual analysis with broader theoretical perspectives. Contributions from Medieval Studies, Classics, History, Gender and Queer Studies, and Digital Humanities are welcome. Papers should be 20 minutes in length, followed by 10 minutes of discussion, and may be presented in German or English.
Abstracts of up to 300 words, including the title of the paper, contact details, and a short biographical note, should be submitted by 15 February 2026. Please send proposals to: total-abnormal@uni-goettingen.de. Travel and accommodation expenses for speakers will be covered within the usual limits.
Organisation
Lumen Hinterholzer, M.A.
Dr. Alexander Schulz
Contact
total-abnormal@uni-goettingen.de
The complete Call for Papers as a PDF can be found here as PDF-Download.
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