Call for Papers
Seeing Sound, Speaking Images: The Senses in the Middle Ages
Princeton University Graduate Conference March 27–28, 2026
The Princeton Medieval Studies Graduate Conference invites submissions for its upcoming meeting, Seeing Sound, Speaking Images: The Senses in the Middle Ages, to be held at Princeton University on March 27–28, 2026.
This year’s theme considers the vibrant ways in which medieval people experienced, described, and theorized the senses. How did sound, sight, touch, taste, and smell shape devotion, knowledge, memory, and identity? How were sensory experiences translated across media—into text, image, song, or material form? What might sensory perception reveal about embodiment, spirituality, and the boundaries of human experience? We are particularly interested in synesthetic or multi-sensory modes of engaging with the world— moments when medieval people “saw sounds” or “spoke images”—that remind us how fluidly perception could move across the senses.
We welcome proposals from graduate students in all disciplines whose work touches on the sensory, including but not limited to:
- Literary, theological, and philosophical accounts of the senses
- Theories of perception in medieval science and medicine
- Ekphrasis, synesthesia, and cross-sensory description
- Sensory dimensions of liturgy, ritual, and performance
- Materiality and the tactile life of objects and manuscripts
- Smell and taste in monastic or courtly contexts
- The senses and devotional practice (hearing prayers, seeing visions, touching relics)
- Comparative and cross-cultural approaches to sensation in the Latin West, Byzantine East, Islamic world, or beyond
Format
Papers should be prepared for a workshop format. Speakers will give brief presentations introducing work-in-progress, followed by discussion with fellow participants. Time will be reserved both for focused conversation after each presentation and for broader group reflection on shared themes. Our aim is to foster conversation, feedback, and collaboration across fields: please think in terms of presenting a primary source that will advance our collective understanding of the conference’s themes, or a slice of research that would particularly benefit from interdisciplinary dialogue.
Graduate speakers’ accommodations will be covered by the conference; pending final budgeting, ground transportation will be fully or partially reimbursed.
Submissions
Please submit an abstract of no more than 300 words along with a short CV (1–2 pages) to [email protected] by December 15, 2025.
The conference will feature a keynote performance event highlighting medieval sound and song.
For questions, please contact the organizing committee at [email protected].
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