Call for Papers

You are cordially invited to propose participation in a session
sponsored by the Société Guilhem IX at the

47th International Congress on Medieval Studies
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
10-13 May 2012

Deadline for Proposals: 1 September 2011

Session 1: Women and the Troubadours

Women figure in the large majority of Troubadour poems, whether as the erotic focus, object of mystery, speaking voice, invoked saint, or patroness. The Trobairitz corpus has gone from obscurity to possible overexposure in recent decades with the rise of feminism and interest in women's studies. This session invites scholars to take stock of the many places of women in Old Occitan studies. Contributions may consider literary, cultural, linguistic, musical, lexicographical, or biographical questions. Many women have contributed to Occitan studies, and this would be an opportunity to take account of their legacy, as well.

Session 2: Debating Debate Poems: Tensos and Partimens (A Roundtable)

The publication of The Troubadour Tensos and Partimens: A Critical Edition (Boydell & Brewer, 2010) by Ruth Harvey, Linda Paterson, et al., offers a wonderful mine of themes and topics as well as critical resources. This roundtable invites participants to choose a tenso or partimen (debate poems performed by two or more speakers, the latter involving the posing of a dilemma by one poet, one side of which is chosen by a second poet, each of whom then produces stanzas debating the question). In partimen fashion, each participant in the roundtable will offer arguments promoting the chosen poem as the "best" (for whatever purposes) in the corpus. Debate and discussion will ensue. The roundtable invites new approaches to these texts, a few of which are well-known (e.g. Giraut de Bornelh's demands for advice from Na Alamanda) but many of which deserve more attention, particularly in the light of the new insights to be gained from studying them as part of the debate tradition presented by this new edition.

Those interested in presenting a paper in Session 1, or who would like to participate in the Roundtable, should, by 1 September 2011, send a one-page proposal and a completed Participant Information Form, preferably via e-mail, to:

Professor Sarah-Grace Heller
Department of French & Italian
The Ohio State University
200 Hagerty Hall
1775 College Road
Columbus, OH 43210

Phone: (614) 891-7654
Fax: (614) 292-7403
e-mail: heller.64@osu.edu

Find further information on the Congress Web site.