The 61st International Congress on Medieval Studies will take place from Thursday, May 14 through Saturday, May 16, 2026.
You are cordially invited to propose participation in a session sponsored by the Société Guilhem IX at the
2026 International Congress on Medieval Studies
Deadline for Proposals: 15 September 2025
Please submit a proposal via the Congress website
Session 1: Occitan as an Epic Language (A session of papers)
Modality: In-person
Occitan has had a rich literary history from the Middle Ages to the present, but it is undeniable that the language has more often than not been associated with the troubadours. From Ramon Vidal to the present, scholars have pointed out Occitan’s particular suitability for the lyric. But this critical approach often ignores some very important Occitan texts, such as the Canso de la Croada, Daurel e Beton, Aigar e Maurin, and the two Roland texts Ronsasvals and Roland à Saragosse. For this panel, we solicit contributions that seek to clarify Occitan as an epic language. How does the epic push and challenge the generic restrictions put on Occitan? How does the lyric incorporate epic discourse? What is the influence of the lyric on epic discourse in Occitan? What exactly is an Occitan epic? Does it differ from northern French versions? Or is the Occitan epic simply a chanson de geste written in Occitan?
Session 2: Queer Studies and Occitan (A Roundtable)
Occitan has had a rich literary history from the Middle Ages to the present, but it is undeniable that the language has more often than not been associated with the troubadours. From Ramon Vidal to the present, scholars have pointed out Occitan’s particular suitability for the lyric. But this critical approach often ignores some very important Occitan texts, such as the Canso de la Croada, Daurel e Beton, Aigar e Maurin, and the two Roland texts Ronsasvals and Roland à Saragosse. For this panel, we solicit contributions that seek to clarify Occitan as an epic language. How does the epic push and challenge the generic restrictions put on Occitan? How does the lyric incorporate epic discourse? What is the influence of the lyric on epic discourse in Occitan? What exactly is an Occitan epic? Does it differ from northern French versions? Or is the Occitan epic simply a chanson de geste written in Occitan?
The Société Guilhem IX is pleased to offer:
- A complimentary one-year membership in the Société (currently $15.00 US), including a subscription to the journal TENSO, to any graduate student, regardless of country of residence, whose abstract is accepted for inclusion in either of the sessions sponsored in 2026 at Kalamazoo by the Société Guilhem IX;
- Payment of the registration fee (in 2025, $120.00 US [students]; ca. $200.00 US [non-students]) for the International Congress on Medieval Studies to any individual not residing in North America whose abstract is accepted for inclusion in either of the sessions sponsored in 2026 at Kalamazoo by the Société Guilhem IX. The same individual(s) will receive a complimentary one-year membership in the Société ($15.00), including a subscription to the journal TENSO.
Submissions:
Those interested in presenting a paper in Session 1, and those who would like to participate in the Roundtable, should, by 15 September 2025, complete the proposal submission via the Congress website. Please send inquiries to the Vice-President of the Société, Courtney Wells, at wells@hws.ed