07 Oct Byzantium: Lives and Afterlives Research Group at University of Oslo
Retracing Connections is delighted to announce the launch of the research group Byzantium: Lives and Afterlives at the Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas of the University of Oslo. This research group is founded by long-term collaborators of Retracing Connections, Matthew Kinloch and Christine Amadou. The initiation of the research group will be marked by two events, with the participation of Retracing Connection team members Ingela Nilsson (Uppsala University) and Christian Høgel (Lund University).
The first event will consist of two short lectures and a discussion.
- Christian Høgel (Lund) – Metaphrasis: Towards a New Taxonomy of Rewriting/ Translation from a Byzantine Perspective
- Ingela Nilsson (Uppsala) – Entangled Storyworlds: A New Narrative of Greek and Ottoman Literature
The second event will be chaired by Matthew Kinloch, with the participation of Christine Amadou (University of Oslo), Christian Høgel (Lund University), Ingela Nilsson (Uppsala University), and Tonje Haugland Sørensen (University of Copenhagen).
In Scandinavian narratives and depictions of the Middle Ages, the Byzantine Empire is virtually absent. And this is despite the fact that this empire existed from 330 to 1453 and, for long periods, possessed a geographical extent and a material and cultural wealth that exceeded the imagination of most Norse people.
But can we nevertheless speak of a Scandinavian Byzantium? Of millennia-old connections between Scandinavia and Constantinople? From the Varangians who served in the Byzantine capital in the 11th century to contemporary questions of European identity, Byzantium has also played a role in Scandinavia. In this round-table discussion, researchers who are familiar with Byzantium from different perspectives will come together. Together, they will recount the forgotten history of the relationship between Byzantium and Scandinavia. They will discuss trade and cultural influences, Byzantium as both a mirror and a spectre, Scandinavian research traditions, and how Sigurd Jorsalfare’s visit to Myklagard in 1110 came to be a national symbol in 1899.
The events are organized in collaboration between the Norwegian and Swedish committees for Byzantine studies, the Norway Research Foundation-financed project Narrative Hierarchies: Minor Characters in Byzantine and Medieval History Writing. They are open to all and can be attended in person or online. For more information and the links, contact the organizer.