Leeds International Medieval Congress, 7-10 July 2025.
This call for papers addresses the IMC 2025 theme of ‘Worlds of Learning’ and invites 20-minute papers on all aspects of early medieval textiles between 400-1400 CE. This session will take a diverse and interdisciplinary approach to textile features, materials, processes, uses and receptions and how those factors shaped the medieval understanding of and interaction with textiles.
By taking a broad thematic and geographical approach to the subject we will present a multivalent consideration of elite and non-elite, secular or ecclesiastical early medieval textiles respectively, examining the interplay between material, function and appearance across those objects. The theme of learning lends itself to the world of medieval textiles through the sharing of generational artisanal knowledge and skills amongst female makers, but we would also welcome papers that consider the role of textiles within the male experience.
Themes may include but are not limited to: Communities of learning; international networks of trade and knowledge; Scandinavian textile practices; practical learning and experimental archaeology; female agency in textile production and decoration; the influence of eastern and Byzantine textiles; early medieval Middle Eastern textiles; textiles as a form of communication; the significance of material, colour and motif; analyses of craft, technique and process; finished/unfinished textiles; fragments; fraying; fabric; threads; woven, interwoven; embroidered and embellished; tablet-woven bands and braiding; edges and borders; text and motif; colour and pattern.
It is our intention to bring together emerging scholars and established academics working across several fields of research, to provide a platform for the reconsideration of the idea of textile as a medium of learning. By reaching across boundaries of discipline and period, this session provides a forum for the sharing of ideas, and the exploration of new thoughts on textile in its widest possible connotations.
Please send your abstract of 250 words along with a short biography by 1st September to Tracey Davison and Georgia Gould at: threadsimc25@gmail.com
