Intersectionality in Ancient and Pre-Modern Contexts. Considering Aspects of Privilege and Marginalisation
11–12 June 2026
University of Basel
Deadline for Submission: 1 September 2025
Questions of identity and the marginalisation of specific groups have become central to both academic and public discourse. Awareness of these concerns is currently increasing in ancient and pre-modern disciplines. Intersectionality, a concept coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989) within Black Feminism and Critical Race Theory, offers a valuable framework for understanding how overlapping of aspects of identity – such as race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, and bodily dispositions (e.g., disability, age) – shape individual experiences of privilege and marginalisation. These dynamics unfold on the interpersonal (everyday interactions), structural (government, law, education), and socio-spatial (urban form, spatial governance, land control) levels.
While intersectional approaches are well established in the social sciences, their application to ancient and pre-modern contexts remains mostly unexplored. The nature of pre-modern source material – often fragmentary and strongly reflecting elite perspectives – poses specific challenges. This conference aims to bring together scholars working in ancient and pre-modern fields who already engage with intersectionality or seek to explore its potential. Contributions from MA students and PhDs are explicitly encouraged.
We encourage submissions from scholars across disciplines, including but not limited to ancient, byzantine and medieval history, archaeological disciplines (Pre- and Protohistorical Archaeology, Mediterranean Archaeology, Archaeology of the Roman Provinces, etc.), ancient Eastern studies, classical philologies, Egyptology.
Abstracts of no more than 250 words, along with your title and a short bio (max. 150 words), should be submitted by 1 September 2025 to the organisers. Presentations should preferably be given in English (exceptions are possible, e. g., German). Presentations cannot be held via Zoom. However, a Zoom link can be provided to allow participants to listen to the presentations on demand. We anticipate being able to offer a limited number of travel and accommodation bursaries to support MA and PhD students. If you would like to be considered for a bursary, please indicate this in your submission email.
Please send your abstract, title and bio to the organising committee: Ana Maspoli ana.maspoli@unibas.ch and Sarah Siegenthaler sarah.siegenthaler@unibas.ch. Notification of acceptance will be provided by 26 September 2025 at the latest.
Contact
Ana Maspoli ana.maspoli@unibas.ch
Sarah Siegenthaler sarah.siegenthaler@unibas.ch
The complete Call for Papers as PDF can be found here.
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