Call for Papers

Understanding the dynamics of vulnerability and power is important for the study of any period, not least Late Antiquity, where we see significant negotiations of power in a time of great transformation. Here, we broadly define Late Antiquity as spanning the fourth to ninth centuries, across a wide geographical scope.

Power has often been the focus of scholarly attention on Late Antiquity, for example, in the spheres of religion and politics and literature By contrast, vulnerability, closely intertwined with power, has received less sustained. Our emphasis on vulnerability provokes a reassessment of ongoing research on power in Late Antiquity, in an invitation to consider power from fresh perspectives.

We are interested in not only larger late ancient institutions of power, but also the groups of society that are more vulnerable. Contemporary fields shaped by the insights of vulnerable communities, including decolonial and intersectional thought, have reimagined resilience, agency and systemic vulnerability; thus we seek to bring late antique society into conversation with contemporary approaches drawn from the studies of migration, gender and sexuality, disability, childhood, family structures, socioeconomic inequalities, and so on. Another important area for consideration is environmental vulnerability, including, for example, the significance of extreme weather events and climate change on the levels of ecology, society, and culture. A more literal understanding of vulnerability (i.e., the potential to be wounded), is also relevant here: war, violence, illness, and the vulnerable body are rich fields for inquiry. As researchers, we are part of institutions also shaped by dynamics of vulnerability and power. We therefore think that inquiries into Late Antiquity can enrich and deepen meta-disciplinary reflections on academia as a sphere of vulnerability and power.

Postgraduate researchers from the following fields are especially invited to participate: Arabic Studies, Archaeology, Art History, Biblical Studies, History, Jewish Studies, Linguistics, Literary Studies, Reception Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Theology. We welcome researchers working with languages such as Arabic, Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Georgian, Gothic, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Persian, Slavonic, Sogdian, Syriac.

Possible topics may include but are not limited to:

1. The dynamics of vulnerability associated with Late Antiquity specifically – e.g., interrogating conceptions of Late Antiquity as a period of vulnerability, decline, and crisis; reflecting on the history of Late Antiquity as a vulnerable disciplinary field.

2. Theories and practices of vulnerability and power in literature, philosophy, and politics; how individuals or groups in power deal with their own vulnerabilities.

3. Representations of vulnerability and power in art, literature, architecture, and so on.

4. Negotiations of vulnerability and power in a variety of social contexts, such as in the family, church, city, state, or on an imperial level.

5. Attitudes of tolerance, exclusion or persecution towards vulnerable groups, such as religious, ethnic, and linguistic minorities, or those experiencing poverty, illness, or disability.

6. Resilience and the power of resistance among vulnerable groups.

7. Management of and responses to environmental risks such as drought, earthquake, fire, and so on.

We invite applications from postgraduate researchers (PhDs and advanced Masters). To be considered for a 20-minute paper, please send an email to gclaphdconf@ugent.be with a paper title, an abstract of max 300 words, a short bibliography (max 10 titles), and a brief academic biography by 7 January 2026.

Applicants will be notified by early February 2026. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.