The Premodern Colloquium (PMC) first met in the home of Tom Green (Law School, History) by whom it was founded in 1979 as a forum for discussion of new work in the history of law. It eventually evolved into a wide-ranging multidisciplinary group. In the 1990s Tom Willette (History of Art) joined Tom Green and in the fall of 2001 organized the first event jointly sponsored by the PMC and the Medieval and Early Modern Studies program, beginning a long period of close collaboration. Tom Willette served as sole director and host of the PMC from 2016 to 2021. Since then, the directorship has rotated among MEMS faculty.
Typically PMC discussions focus on works-in-progress by local and visiting scholars or dissertation chapters presented by our own students. Discussions tend to be intense and lively, but people who present work find the experience to be friendly and helpful. We especially welcome graduate students to our regular meetings, both as discussants and as presenters of dissertation work.
Winter 2024
Sunday January 28 Scott Larson, U-M American Culture
“Rantings of a Diseased Mind: Madness and Enthusiastic Sensations in 18th-Century Religious Cultures”
Sunday March 17 Cameron Cross, U-M Middle East Studies
“Call Him Diyanus in Greek! The Correlating of Pagan and Islamic Knowledge in ʿUnsurī's Vāmiq-u ʿAzrā”
Sunday April 7 Tina Bawden, U-M History of Art and Susanne Huber, History of Art, Bremen University
“Contingent Touch: Sensual encounters in a Late Medieval Health Manuscript”
