Call for Papers: Orality, Aurality and Literacy in ‘Early Late Antiquity’ (250–450 CE)
-
02. July 2026
-
Call for papers
Orality, Aurality and Literacy in ‘Early Late Antiquity’ (250–450 CE)
Second Conference on Orality, Aurality and Literacy in Late Antiquity
Innsbruck, 10–12 February 2027
Submission Deadline: 1 September 2026
Follow-up to the conference “Orality, Aurality and Literacy in ‘Late Late Antiquity’ (450–700 CE)”
(Innsbruck University, October 2025)
This second conference moves backward in time to examine the period 250–450 CE – an era of profound upheaval, experimental creativity, and foundational change. Often overshadowed by the “golden” Augustan-age model of classical literacy (revitalized in the Adrian Classicism, for example, and by poetae novelli or the rest of the erudition in 2nd century), this period witnessed the slow but irreversible disintegration of the traditional Roman political and military order, alongside the explosive rise of Christian literature and new poetic and rhetorical forms. It was a time when oral traditions, aural practices, and textual production did not merely survive but actively generated the cultural conditions for the world that followed.
We invite contributions that explore how oral, aural, and literate practices intersected, clashed, or reinforced each other in Early Late Antiquity (250–450 CE).
Submission Guidelines
- Abstracts of 250–300 words (excluding bibliography) should be sent
to oraulituibkconference@gmail.com by 01/09/2026. - Please include a brief biographical note (max. 100 words) with institutional affiliation (if
applicable). - Presentations should be 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of discussion.
- The conference will be held in person (hybrid/online possible upon request) on 10–12
February 2027 at the Institut für klassische Philologie und neulateinische Studien, University
of Innsbruck (Ágnes Heller Haus, Innrain 52a).
Publication Plans
Selected papers will be considered for publication in an edited volume or special journal issue,
complementing the proceedings of the first conference.
Key Dates
- Abstract deadline: 01/09/2026
- Notification of acceptance: 15/11/2026
- Conference dates: 10–12 February 2027
We look forward to submissions that explore the origins of late antique oral, aural and literary
dynamics – a period of crisis, rupture, and breathtaking creativity that laid the groundwork for the
centuries to come.
Organization
Martin Bauer-Zetzmann, Simon Ellinger, Riccardo Stigliano, Chiara Telesca
Contact
oraulituibkconference@gmail.com
The complete Call for Papers can befound here as a PDF-Download.
Comments are disabled for this post.
0 comments