Studying East of Byzantium XIII: Centers and Hubs
EAST OF BYZANTIUM WORKSHOP
Muriel Debié, École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Sorbonne, PSL
Nicholas Matheou, University of Edinburgh
Studying East of Byzantium XIII: Centers and Hubs is a three-part workshop that intends to bring together doctoral students and recent PhDs studying the Christian East to reflect on the usefulness of the role of Centers and Hubs in studying the Christian East, to share methodologies, and to discuss their research with one another and senior specialists in the field. The workshop continues the efforts of East of Byzantium, the partnership between the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture at Hellenic College Holy Cross and the Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies at Harvard University (from 2022–), to foster an interdisciplinary community of early career scholars engaged in the study of the diverse traditions of the medieval Christian East, including Syria, the South Caucasus, Mesopotamia, and Egypt.
The theme for East of Byzantium XIII is Centers and Hubs. We invite applications on any aspect of cities, religious centers, and intellectual hubs (and intersections thereof), in the Christian East. Recent scholarship has illuminated issues of urban Christianity, religious diversity, monastic life, lived experience, and networks of knowledge. We welcome projects on any facet of these themes, including archaeological, art-historical, historical, historiographical, philological, or theological dimensions, and invite all graduate students and recent PhDs working in the Christian East whose work considers, or hopes to consider, relevant themes in their own research to apply.
Workshop Format
The workshop events will be led by Muriel Debié and Nicholas Matheou and facilitated by Christina Maranci and Brandie Ratliff. Meetings will be held on Zoom. The first event on October 9 will be a short introductory session where participants introduce themselves and their projects. During the second event on February 12, participants will provide a short 10-minute update on their research and have the opportunity to pose questions or problems to the group. At the final two-day event on June 3–4, each participant will deliver a 20- to 25-minute presentation based on their project. While research projects may be on any topic and need not focus specifically on spaces, the workshop theme should be the focus of the presentations. Individual presentations will be followed by a 10-minute response from Muriel Debié or Nicholas Matheou and a general discussion. The timing of the workshop meetings will be determined when the participant list is finalized.
Eligibility
Doctoral students or recent PhDs studying the Christian East. All disciplines are welcome. Early career researchers should have received their PhD in 2026. Priority will be given to graduate students.
Abstracts
Interested students should submit a C.V. and a 200-word abstract no later than September 13, 2026. The abstract should describe the writing project that you will pursue during the workshop and how it relates to the workshop theme. The final output should be based on the dissertation project and may be in the form of a conference paper, a dissertation chapter or excerpt, or an article.
Complete Papers
Papers should not exceed 5,000 words in length including footnotes. Complete papers must be submitted no later than May 3, 2027.
Timeline
September 13, 2026: Abstracts due
September 21, 2026: Organizers notify workshop applicants of status
October 9, 2026: Workshop, Part I (Zoom)
February 12, 2027: Workshop, Part II (Zoom)
May 3, 2027: Complete papers due
June 3 and 4, 2027: Workshop, Part III (Zoom)
Muriel Debié is Director of Studies and Professor of Eastern Christian Studies at École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Sorbonne, PSL, Paris. Dr. Debié is an historian specializing in the Syriac world. She co-founded the Société d’études syriaques in 2003 and the EPHE’s l’Institut des langues rares (ILARA) in 2020 and is co-founder the “Études syriaques” (Geuthner) and “Bibliothèque de l’Orient chrétien” (Les Belles Lettres) series. In 2009–2010, Dr. Debié was a Visiting Research Scholar at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) in New York, and in 2016–2017, she was a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton. Since 2020, she has been a senior member of the Institut universitaire de France. Professor Debié is the author of many publications, including the recent Alexandre le Grand en syriaque. Le maître des lieux, des savoirs et des temps (Les Belles Lettres, 2024), a translation with introduction and commentary of all the texts either translated into or produced in Syriac about Alexandre the Great.
Nicholas Matheou is Lecturer in Global Medieval History & Marxism at the University of Edinburgh. Dr. Matheou is a a global economic and social historian, specializing in medieval Afro-Eurasia, particularly eastern Anatolia, Upper Mesopotamia and Caucasia. His research combines Armenian, Georgian, Greek, Latin, and Persian primary sources with material culture, epigraphy, numismatics, climate data, and landscape approaches. His recent publications include “The Historical Ethnology of Steppe Nomadism in the Empire of New Rome, c.450-1100: Michael Attaleiates and John Skylitzes on the Turks” in Journal of Late Antique, Islamic & Byzantine Studies (2026) and “Nationcraft and the Origins of Territory: Experiencing Romanía in the Medieval Empire of New Rome” in Past & Present (2026). Dr. Matheou is currently working on a project about the abandoned city of Ani.
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