International Congress on Medieval Studies

About Hosted by the Medieval Institute at Western Michigan University, the International Congress on Medieval Studies is an annual gathering of thousands of scholars interested in medieval studies. The Congress embraces the study of all aspects of the Middle Ages, extending into late antiquity and the early modern period, including—but not limited to—history, language, literature, linguistics, art, archaeology, religion, science, medicine, music, drama, philosophy, gender, sexuality, mysticism and technology, as well as medievalism. History The first Conference on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University was held in 1962. At first a biennial affair, by 1966 the conference had grown to nearly 200 participants from colleges and universities across the United States and Canada. It became an annual event in 1970, and its name was changed to the International Congress on Medieval Studies in 1979. The Congress now boasts hundreds of sessions, including sessions of papers, roundtables, poster sessions, workshops, demonstrations and performances. Inspired by the egalitarian approach to medieval studies advocated by John R. Sommerfeldt (1933-2023), its founding director, the Medieval Institute invites emerging researchers, graduate students, and independent scholars to organize sessions and submit paper proposals to the Congress.