Agency Through the Ancients: Reception as Empowerment

Conference Date: November 9, 2019

Keynote: Dr. Emily Allen-Hornblower, Rutgers University, and Mr. Marquis “I AM” McCray

The Department of Classical Studies at Boston University invites submissions of abstracts for the 12th Annual Graduate Student Conference. This year, the conference will examine how classical literature (broadly defined) is able to impart a profound sense of agency to the disenfranchised, especially in times of turmoil or persecution. Although we acknowledge that many nationalists, over the centuries and into the present day, have invoked the classics in order to advance their exclusionary agenda, we  hope to demonstrate that the classics have the potential to heal, unite, and empower the marginalized. Therefore, this conference will explore the myriad ways in which those who have traditionally remained voiceless have discovered a safe harbor and a sense of solidarity through the literature of ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, Babylon, etc. Special attention will be given to engagement with the ancient world by groups which have been historically underrepresented or outright excluded. 

Possible submission topics include (but are by no means limited to) the reception of classical literature by the following groups or individuals:

Papers must be original, unpublished, and written by current graduate students. Please send an abstract (500 words or fewer), a paper title, and a C.V. or short bio to Maya Chakravorty, Peter Kotiuga, Alicia Matz, Joshua Paul, and Amanda Rivera at ancientagency@gmail.com. Papers should be 20 minutes in length and will be followed by a short question and answer session. The deadline for submissions is Friday, August 23, 2019. Selected speakers will be notified by the end of September and are expected to accept or decline the offer within a week of notification.