Cross-Disciplinary Approaches in Early Modern and Medieval Studies: An ANZAMEMS/CEMS ANU Seminar for Postgraduates and Early-Career Researchers

Thursday 19th to Friday 20th February, 2026

National Library of Australia, Canberra

Professor Lorna Hutson, Merton Professor of English at the University of Oxford, is visiting the ANU Centre for Early Modern Studies in February 2026. This seminar draws upon her groundbreaking cross-disciplinary work in early modern studies combining literary approaches with those of other disciplines, including law, economics, and classical rhetoric.

We invite abstracts from Australian and New Zealand postgraduate students and early career researchers with an interest in cross-disciplinarity in early modern and medieval studies to participate in a two-day seminar at the National Library of Australia in Canberra. Participants will network and share their research with peers and senior scholars in the field and enhance their skills in cross-disciplinary research under the guidance of leading scholars.

The seminar program incorporates consultation of the NLA’s medieval and early modern collections, a public talk by Professor Lorna Hutson, three hands-on workshops with Prof Lorna Hutson, Professor Megan Cassidy-Welch (Dean of Research Strategy, University of Divinity) and Dr Una McIlvenna (ARC Future Fellow and Senior Lecturer in English, ANU), and two panels of papers by the seminar participants.

Applicants should submit the following to admin.cems@anu.edu.au by Thursday 18 December 2025:

• A 200-word abstract of your proposed paper
• A brief CV that demonstrates your interest in cross-disciplinary scholarship

Please note that participants must be members of the Australia New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (ANZAMEMS) at the time of the seminar. Travel costs of transport and overnight accommodation will be supported by bursaries from ANZAMEMS. Bursaries will be competitively awarded for the strongest applications.