Armenian Society under Caliphal Rule, University of Hamburg, December 7–8, 2023

The Emmy Noether Junior Research Group ‘Social Contexts of Rebellion in the Early Islamic Period’ (SCORE) at the University of Hamburg welcomes proposals for participation in the online workshop ‘Armenian Society under Caliphal Rule’, 7–8 December 2023.

This workshop will consider the social history of Armenia in the period between the first Muslim invasions and the establishment of the Bagratuni kingdom, i.e. seventh to ninth centuries AD/ first to third centuries AH. Contributions will be warmly welcomed on any aspect of social history and its intersection with economic, environmental, cultural and religious history. Perspectives that draw upon the written word, visual culture, the built environment or any combination of the above will all be equally welcomed. Topics may include, but are by no means limited to, such themes as social hierarchies, government, church structures, labour relations, urbanism and ruralism, taxation, civic architecture, etc.

The workshop is envisaged as a compact and focused event running on two consecutive afternoons (Central European Time) only, thereby facilitating the participation of scholars in multiple time zones. The dates of the workshop are fixed as Thursday 7 and Friday 8 December 2023. Papers will be pre-circulated (though they need by no means be polished) two weeks in advance, i.e. by Friday 24 November 2023. To limit video-call fatigue, there will be a total of no more than ten papers, five on each day. Each speaker will be given a 45-minute presentation slot followed by a 15-minute break: presentations will run for 20–25 minutes; questions will then be opened by a dedicated respondent for around five minutes, after which discussion will be opened to the floor for the remaining time. The language of the workshop will be English.