I initiated organizing and hosting this Speakers’ Series, which I organized and hosted in 2017-2018, and co-organized and co-hosted with Dr. Emily Hutchison (History, MRU) in 2016-2017 and 2018-2019 (then called the Medieval Miscere). In 2019-2020, I co-organized with Dr. David Clemis (History, MRU), and we broadened the scope to include Medieval and Early Modern study.

The titled of this series, “Miscere,” is a Latin verb that means “to mix, to mingle, to combine, to unite, to confuse, or to confound.” This series supports the coordination and “mash-up” of Medieval and Early Modern scholars and scholarship locally, nationally, and internationally. General fields of Medieval and Early Modern scholarship are vast but the study of such disciplines is often nuanced and individual. We teach across many centuries, introducing complex histories and a range of texts, but in our own individual research we address specific questions and challenges. Still, often there are insufficient opportunities to engage with peers. Furthermore, students lack exposure to the vast approaches available to historical studies. Where there are few Medieval and Early Modernists accessible for intellectual exchange, it is crucial that research and teaching be enhanced by more regular interactions with other scholars. We recognize that these are essential to excellence in research and scholarly teaching, and that the ongoing mingling of ideas lead to exciting opportunities for scholars and students alike.

When I first sought to organize the Miscere series, I felt strongly that we could energize and support a core group of Medieval and Early Modern students and scholars; I have been overwhelmed by the turnout for each event, and the dedication with which my colleagues from my own institution and others attend.

The Miscere Speakers Series

2019-2020:     

♦ Dr. Karim Dharamsi, Mount Royal University, “The End of  Philosophy:  Ibn Khaldun’s Fourteenth Century Prolegomena to a Science of  History  and Social Cohesion.” 29 October 2019.

♦ Dr. Kenneth Duggan, Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, University of Toronto, “Peasants and Policing in the Middle Ages: How Villages Dealt with Crime in Thirteenth-Century England.” 18 November  2020.

                                   

♦ Dr. Courtnay Konshuh, University of Calgary, “Fortifications and Vikings: the Defence of England,” 28 January 2020.

♦ Dr. Nazak Birjandifar, Mount Royal University, “King or Messiah?: ‘Adel Shah’s Uprising in Gilan.” 27 February 2020.

2018-2019:   

♦ Dr. David Watt, University of Manitoba, “Medieval Manuscripts in Canada: The Place of Old Books on Treaty Land.” 30 January 2019.

♦ Dr. Ashby Kinch, University of Montana, “Reading Chaucer Reading: Recursive Design and Inventive Memory in The Canterbury Tales.” 05 February 2019.

♦ Colin Gibbings, University of Calgary, “Wandering The Ruin: Building A Medieval Performance Text.” 13 March 2019.

                                                                                       

2017-2018:     

♦ Dr. Robert Rouse, University of British Columbia, “There be dragones: Empire and Ecology off the Map.” 26 February 2018.

♦ Dr. Brandon Alakas, University of Alberta, “Resignation or Rebuttal?: Richard Whitford’s Dyuers Holy Instrucyons to Catholics in the wake of The Reformation.” 14 March 2018. 

                                                                                                                        

2016-2017:

♦ Dr. Lucie Lamonier, “Urban Solitudes & Solidarities: Montpellier, 13th-15th Centuries.” 28 November 2016.

♦ Dr. Ashby Kinch, University of Montana, “Spirits at Play: Chaucer and the Luttrell Psalter. 01 February 2017.

♦ Jaclyn Carter and Dr. Murray McGillivray, University of Calgary, “Pixels and Stanzas and Quires, Oh My! Digital Approaches to the Gawain Manuscript.” 13 March 2017.