Mandeville 700: Call for Papers

In 1322, Sir John Mandeville left his native England to travel through Europe, to the pilgrim sites of Jerusalem, and beyond to the Far East, where he served as a mercenary in the Great Khan’s army before returning home 34 years later to write an immensely popular and influential account of his travels. Or not: historical research has been unable to find any John Mandeville who can be firmly identified either as traveller or author, and the book itself was largely adapted from other sources. To mark the 700^th anniversary of his supposed departure, this conference will bring together scholars working on one of the most striking and enduring inventions of the late Middle Ages

Currently planned as a live event to be held at King’s College London. Accessibility information for our planned venue is available via this link. We appreciate that not everyone will be able to attend in person, so please contact us if you would like to contribute remotely or if you have any questions.

• Professor Anthony Bale, editor and translator of John Mandeville, The Book of Marvels and Travels (OUP)
• Dr Sierra Lomuto, Rowan University
• Daisy Black will give a story-telling performance based on the mappa mundi

• The multi-lingual Mandeville tradition: translations and transmission; manuscripts and illuminated cycles; Mandeville and the archive
• Mandeville and the global medieval; Mandeville as colonial forerunner; Mandeville and Orientalism; race and religion
• Pilgrimage, physical and virtual travel, cartography
• The reception and influence of Mandeville; Mandeville monuments and tombs, and the politics of commemoration

Write to us at Mandeville700conference@gmail.com. We particularly welcome submissions from early career scholars and postgraduate students, and collaborative abstract submissions.