Meeting in the Middle Ages

This month, we chat with Dr. Mekhola Gomes, Assistant Professor of History and Asian Languages and Civilizations at Amherst College, to talk about copper plate land grants, kinship, and what it means to study the Middle Ages outside of Europe. Dr. Gomes walks us through her book project, which explores how kinship and property shaped early medieval India between the third and eighth centuries, and reflects on how the field of medieval studies is expanding its horizons. We also talk about the slow, painstaking joy of reading ancient inscriptions, teaching the Ramayana to undergrads, and why understanding the past on its own terms still matters.To contact Dr. Gomes:[email protected]@oldthingsarefun.bsky.social

What happens to an ancient priesthood when the balance of power changes? This month, we’re joined by Dr. Kayla Dang, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies at Saint Louis University, to uncover the dramatic transformation of the Zoroastrian priesthood. We learn who Zoroaster was, and we dive into the world of the 9th and 10th centuries to understand how a vast administrative bureaucracy reinvented itself — navigating life alongside Christians and Jews — to keep a faith alive under Islamic rule. From the linguistic puzzles of medieval sources to the “invisible” presence of Muslims in the Zoroastrian texts, we explore how this community navigated a shifting religious and political landscape.https://www.slu.edu/arts-and-sciences/theological-studies/faculty/kayla-dang.phphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfh6zMpE5Wk&[email protected]

This month, we speak with Dr. Manolis Ulbricht, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at the Medieval Institute at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Ulbricht has been tracing the transmission of Greek translations of the Qur'an and their use in Byzantine anti-Islamic polemic. We discuss his unexpected career turn from a Volkswagen internship in China to medieval history, his experience studying Arabic in Syria, and how several medieval anti-Islamic stereotypes persist to this day.To reach out to Dr. Ulbricht: [email protected]

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Linda G. Jones of Pompeu Fabra University about Muslim women as preachers and religious authorities in the medieval Islamic world. Drawing on biographical dictionaries and hagiographic sources, she explains how informal homiletic traditions, especially within Sufism, created space for female leadership beyond official religious institutions. We also discuss working with Arabic manuscripts, the challenges of archival research, teaching medieval history in Spain and the U.S., and why the humanities still matter.https://www.upf.edu/web/ecerm/linda-gale-joneshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrARUBVDN_E

If you've ever written a letter, you probably weren't thinking about who might be reading it hundreds of years in the future. You definitely weren't thinking about its historical accuracy. But in his latest book, Rewriting the First Crusade: Epistolary Culture in the Middle Ages (Boydell Press, 2024), Dr. Thomas Smith explains how medieval letters have become incredible historical sources. They crossed languages and cultures, built communities, and often blurred lines between fact and fiction. Our conversation also dives into university versus UK public school teaching, breaking down myths surrounding the medieval church, and why you really need to watch the extended cut of Kingdom of Heaven.To find out more about Dr. Smith:https://thomaswsmith.co.uk/To find Dr. Smith's recent book:https://boydellandbrewer.com/book/rewriting-the-first-crusade-9781837651757/To follow Dr. Smith on instagram:@medieval_tom

Teresa of Avila was a mystic, philosopher, poet, reformer, and more. How does a translator bridge a 500 year gap to bring her poetry to life in the 21st century? How do educators foster "hunger for something meaningful" that new students bring to the classroom? We speak with Dana Delibovi to understand the importance of passion for one's work, the spirit of reincarnation in translation, and her path from advertising to translating powerful medieval poetry.Find Dana's book here:https://sweethunter.org/https://www.monkfishpublishing.com/product/sweet-hunter/Learn more about Dana here:https://danadelibovi.wordpress.com/

We think of monks as living peaceful lives, separated from the chaos of daily life, but throughout modern Turkey stand the remains of medieval fortress monasteries, used as both houses of worship and refuge in time of war. This month, we sit down with Dr. Tyler Wolford, 2024-2025 Postdoctoral Byzantine Fellow at the Medieval Institute, to learn about his work on these spiritual strongholds. We talk about the value of global archaeology, analysis of medieval settlement patterns, the definition of "Byzantine," and how digging in Ohio led him to excavations in Turkey's Maeander Valley.Click here to see Dr. Wolford's Byzantine Workshop:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY1iHRsyv0AClick here to read Dr. Wolford's recent contribution to the Medieval Studies Research Blog:https://sites.nd.edu/manuscript-studies/2025/05/07/why-fortify-a-short-introduction-to-four-byzantine-fortifications-in-the-maeander-valley/

Everything is bigger in Texas, even the universities. But what is it like teaching medieval intellectual history at one of the largest public research institutions in the US? This week, we speak with Dr. Cary Nederman, Professor of Political Science at the Bush School of Texas A&M University. A scholar of medieval and early modern intellectual history, Dr. Nederman shares how he became a political theorist of the Middle Ages more or less by accident and how the study of ideas, especially those of William of Ockham, can shape civic life today. We talk about collaboration in academia, from undergraduates to full professors, how COVID-19 reshaped his teaching, and why modern social media might have more in common with medieval friendship networks than you'd expect.Feel free to email Dr. Nederman any questions at:[email protected] enjoy Dr. Nederman's lecture at the Medieval Institute here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StWlXZZG0CMRead more about the history of ideas here:https://www.jhiblog.org/

In medieval Europe, the Church held enormous political and economic power. How did critics point out the flaws of such a dominant institution? And why would writing a letter in the voice of the devil be a good strategy? This week, we sit down with Dr. Roberto Lambertini, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Macerata, to talk about how political ideas were discussed, parodied, and preserved in the Middle Ages. We discuss his research into the little-known Cistercian theologian Pierre Ceffons and his provocative writings, including the so-called Epistola Luciferi ad Cleros (The Devil's Letter to the Clergy). Dr. Lambertini shares how he first encountered medieval political philosophy, how lessons can be shaped by local history, and what 14th century academic debates might teach us today. We also hear how a tiny Italian town became the (imagined) capital of Charlemagne's empire.https://docenti.unimc.it/roberto.lambertinihttps://rivisteopen.unimc.it/index.php/pi_ser/index

We've all heard about nationalism and patriotism, but what exactly is the difference? Where did these ideas come from? This week, we talk with Dr. Takashi Shogimen, Professor of History at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. We explore his research on the history of patriotism, its ancient origins, and its transformation by medieval thinkers. He shares his thoughts on William of Ockham, the importance of being "somewhere" instead of "nowhere," nationalism in the 21st century, and how we might try to answer the question: What does one own one's nation?Dr. Shogimen's university page:https://www.otago.ac.nz/history/our-people-in-history/professor-takashi-shogimenDr. Shogimen's twitter:@TakashiShogimenDr. Shogimen's lecture at the Medieval Institute:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8mE5CauGkA&ab_channel=MedievalInstitute

This week, we're sitting down with Dr. Julia Schneider, Subject Specialist Librarian for Medieval Studies in the Medieval Institute at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Schneider wears a lot of hats and is also the Scholarly Resources and Assessment Librarian for Arts, Humanities, and Architecture as well as the subject liaison for German Language and Literature.We speak about her experience working as a university librarian, the value of working across disciplines as a medieval researcher, her pivot away from medieval exorcism, the life force that is caffeine, and what it takes to purchase a copy of a medieval manuscript.

This week, we're talking with Dr. Anne Le, current Public Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow at Notre Dame's Medieval Institute. During her time at the Medieval Institute, she's been working on several projects to connect with the public and students of all ages about the medieval world. We chat about public humanities, medieval French literature, the Disney classic The Sword in the Stone, and the value of good mentorship. Plus, for any (American) football fans, we discuss the Medieval Institute's legendary game-day tailgates.https://nanovic.nd.edu/people/faculty-fellows/anne-le/

This week, we're sitting down with the editors of the Medieval Studies Research Blog. For ten years, this blog, sponsored by the Medieval Institute of the University of Notre Dame, has been a platform for sharing medieval research and resources with the world. A lot has changed over the past decade, and we're speaking with Dr. Kathryn Kerby-Fulton, Dr. Nicole Eddy, Dr. Karrie Fuller, Dr. Andrew Klein, Dr. Megan Hall, and current editor Dr. Rich Fahey about the blog's beginnings, how it has evolved, and why academic blogs matter today.https://sites.nd.edu/manuscript-studies/

This month we speak with Dr. Richard Fahey, manager of the Medieval Studies Research Blog and managing book review editor for Religion and Literature, about his recent scholarship on the Old English epic Beowulf. We talk about translating ancient texts for new audiences, the place of puns in poetic performance, and the value of introducing the public to the medieval world through Renaissance Fairs.To find more of Dr. Fahey's work:https://sites.nd.edu/manuscript-studies/

This episode we're sitting down with Dr. Leonora Neville, John W. and Jeanne M. Rowe Chair of Byzantine History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We explore the life and legacy of the medieval Greek historian and princess Anna Komnene, how modern scholars use history to express contemporary political dissent, and why the Roman Empire endured longer than many people realize.For more information about Dr. Neville: https://history.wisc.edu/people/neville-leonora/For Dr. Neville's Ted-Ed video, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okph9wt8I0A&ab_channel=TED-EdListen here to Dr. Neville's lecture at the University of Notre Dame, "Women, Virtue, and Education of Women in Eastern Rome": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yGoYl1AeCg&ab_channel=MedievalInstitute

This month we're chatting with Dr. Nicholas Morton, Associate Professor of History at Nottingham Trent University about his recent book, The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Medieval Near East. We hear about writing history from multiple perspectives, get into the intricacies of writing a book, and learn why you should always stay away from mice if you've been bitten by a leopard.https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/nicholas-morton/the-mongol-storm/9781541616301/?lens=basic-bookshttps://www.youtube.com/@MedievalNearEasthttps://www.ntu.ac.uk/staff-profiles/arts-humanities/nicholas-morton

This month we’re chatting with Dr. Katherine Storm Hindley, Assistant Professor of English at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, about her recent book, Textual Magic Charms and Written Amulets in Medieval England (University of Chicago Press). Discover the magical power of charms in the medieval world, how to find and catalog them, and why modern tattoos might connect us to medieval charms. Dr. Hindley's faculty profile: https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/cris/rp/rp00289Textual Magic Charms and Written Amulets in Medieval England : https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/T/bo193302771.html

To kick off the new academic year, we are releasing this conversation with Dr. Dov Honick, recent alumnus of the Medieval Institute. We muse about the broader field of Medieval Studies, discuss Dov's path from Arthuriana to a dissertation, and hear about his exciting work on Peter Alfonsi and Peter the Venerable.Find out more about Dr. Honick:https://www.aarome.org/people/rome-prize-fellows/dov-honickhttps://medieval.nd.edu/news-events/news/mi-student-wins-2-prestiougous-prizes/

This month we sit down with Dr. Anne Elise Crafton, recent alum of the University of Notre Dame's Medieval Institute and current postdoctoral fellow. We chat about their recent dissertation, "You Sound Like a Wif: The Representation of Women's Speech in Old English," Tolkien's legacy of creating medievalists, and the difficulties of finding and categorizing every single example of women's speech in all Old English texts.Find out more about Dr. Crafton on their personal website:https://www.annecrafton.com/

This month we continue our conversation with Dr. Michelle P. Brown, professor emerita of medieval manuscript studies at the University of London and former curator of illuminated manuscripts at the British Library. We talk about bringing medieval England to the general public, preparing mentally for working with manuscripts, and (possibly) finding Bede's very own handwriting.

This month we sit down with Dr. Michelle P. Brown, professor emerita of medieval manuscript studies at the University of London and former curator of illuminated manuscripts at the British Library. We speak with her about her new book, Bede and the Theory of Everything (published by Reaktion Books), the challenges of working with shy medieval authors, and saving civilization by becoming a librarian.https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/B/bo208669840.html

This week we're sitting down with Dr. Mireille J. Pardon, Assistant Professor of History at Berea College and 2022-2023 Mellon Fellow at Notre Dame's Medieval Institute. We learn about murder trials in medieval Flanders, pursuing postdoctoral fellowships, and what it's like to be in the world of medieval TikTok.https://berea.academia.edu/MireillePardonhttps://www.tiktok.com/@pardon_mi

This week we're chatting with Dr. Peter Adamson, Professor of Philosophy in Late Antiquity and in the Islamic World at the Ludwig Maximillian University of Munich and Professor of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at King's College, London. His latest book, Don't Think for Yourself: Authority and Belief in Medieval Philosophy has just been released in paperback with Notre Dame Press.We speak with him about how to decide who to believe, Islamic medieval philosophers, and what it takes to produce over 400 episodes of his popular podcast, The History of Philosophy without Any Gaps.https://www.historyofphilosophy.net/https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268203399/dont-think-for-yourself/

This month we chat with Dr. Emily Mahan, who recently received her PhD from Notre Dame's Medieval Institute. We talked with her about the power of medieval fables, the value of a postdoctoral fellowship, and how writing poetry led her to writing creatively in her dissertation.

This month we continue our conversation with Dr. Ryan Szpiech, associate professor of Spanish and director of the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Michigan. We talk about parallel histories, the world of medieval Spain, and the creation of a documentary on the beginning of the Spanish language.The Birth of Spanish in 3D:https://birth-of-spanish.rll.lsa.umich.edu/Dr. Szpiech's personal website: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/ryanszpiech/Dr. Szpiech's lecture at the Medieval Institute:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWHN9-qcOCg&t=3987s&ab_channel=MedievalInstitute

This month we sit down with Dr. Ryan Szpiech, associate professor of Spanish and director of the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Michigan. We talk about the hidden power of language, his surprising path into the medieval world through neuroscience, and questing alone in rural Spain.Dr. Szpiech's personal website: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/ryanszpiech/Dr. Szpiech's lecture at the Medieval Institute:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWHN9-qcOCg&t=3987s&ab_channel=MedievalInstitute

This month we sit down with Dr. Andrea Robiglio, professor of History of Philosophy at KU Leuven, about the wide world of pre-modern philosophy and the "vain struggle to define something."You can find out more about Dr. Robiglio and his recent lecture at the Medieval Institute using the following links:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y74Ko5Ge-kg&ab_channel=MedievalInstitutehttps://www.kuleuven.be/wieiswie/en/person/00042577

This month we sit down with Dr. Thomas Burman, director of Medieval Institute at the University of Notre Dame. We chat with him about how modern research on Mediterranean cultures is reshaping our understanding of the medieval world, exactly how far the Mediterranean world reaches, and what goes into creating textbooks for the next generation of students.Link to Dr. Burman's new textbook, The Sea in the Middle: The Mediterranean World, 650-1650https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Middle-Mediterranean-World-650-1650/dp/0520296524/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TFGTK5SHF52C&keywords=sea+in+the+middle&qid=1680724997&sprefix=sea+in+the+middle%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-1

This month we sit down with Spencer Hunt, PhD candidate at the University of Notre Dame's Medieval Institute. We speak with him about medieval Christian and Muslim conversion, the trials and tribulations of writing a dissertation, and the ransom-paying monks of medieval Spain.

This month we sit down with Dr. Megan J. Hall, assistant director of Notre Dame's Medieval Institute. We speak with her about women's literacy and learning in medieval England, the trials and tribulations of writing an academic article, and why impromptu bell-ringing can reveal the true value of scholarship.Dr. Hall's contact information can be found through the following links: https://medieval.nd.edu/people/director-and-staff/@meganjhallphd on twitterhttps://anchorholdondemand.wordpress.com/

This month we sit down with Dr. Rachel Koopmans, Associate Professor of History at York University, Toronto. We talk with her about conceptions of the medieval, studying stained glass in books and in person, and gratitude for antiquarians. Link to Dr. Koopmans's alumni interview with the Medieval Institute:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQBvYl14k2w&ab_channel=MedievalInstitute

This month we sit down with Eleonora Celora, a graduate student at the University of Notre Dame. We talk with her about liturgical manuscripts as works of art, moving to France without knowing French, and creating a tool to help others understand medieval liturgical texts.For more on Eleonora: https://medieval.nd.edu/people/graduate-students/eleonora-celora/For more on her book, Décrire le Manuscrit Liturgique: Méthodes, Problématiques, Perspectives: https://www.brepols.net/products/IS-9782503595023-1

This month we sit down with Dr. Andrew Irving, assistant professor of religion and heritage at the University of Groningen. We talk with him about his journey to Medieval Studies, his work on the 11th century Uta Codex, why one should always weigh their books, and why liturgy is like a Wagnerian opera.Link to Dr. Irving's lecture on the Uta Codex at the Medieval Institute of Notre Dame:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh_Tr26LYLQ&t=8s&ab_channel=MedievalInstitute