CALL FOR BOOK CHAPTERS 

Communication in Crisis: Contextualising, Conveying and Coping with Crises in the Medieval Period 

Edited by Katrín Lísa L. Mikaelsdóttir (University of Iceland, Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies) and Lea D. Pokorny (University of Iceland, Faculty of History, Philosophy and Archaeology)

BACKGROUND 

Communication is fundamental to both the creation and resolution of conflicts and crises. Effective communication is crucial in urgent situations, as individuals strive to understand and convey their experiences through various means and channels. Crises, whether in a literal or figurative sense, often provoke inventive responses, leading to creative solutions and coping mechanisms. Conversely, miscommunication and misunderstandings can have devastating consequences.

This book welcomes perspectives on how crises were contextualised and addressed through verbal and non-verbal communication in historiography, literature, language and script during the medieval period.

Contributors are encouraged to explore language and communication on both macro and micro levels, shedding light on how individuals and societies navigated and addressed these events. This includes examining private and diplomatic correspondence, letters, literature, social networks, speech communities, writing systems, and personal crises involving individual speakers, writers, and written works. Additionally, contributors are welcome to discuss the challenges of studying the diachronic aspects of communication, speech, and writing, as well as various approaches to address these methodological issues.

TOPICS

Topics may explore cognitive, social, linguistic, palaeographic, and codicological dimensions, addressing broad societal issues such as mobility, linguistic inclusivity/exclusivity, and multilingualism. Other areas of interest include the language of crisis and resilience, examining discourses, frames, and metaphors. Miscommunication, misunderstandings, misspellings, scribal errors and corrections are also pertinent topics, as well as diplomacy, letter writing, emotional expressions and communication and miscommunication in medieval literature.

SUBMISSIONS AND CONTACT

Please send a short proposal including a title, a brief author bio, and an abstract of approx. 300 words to kll@hi.is by 1 October 2024. Scholars whose abstracts are selected will be invited to submit their full manuscripts by 1 February 2025.

Contact details: for questions, please contact the editors Katrín Lísa L. Mikaelsdóttir (kll@hi.is) and Lea D. Pokorny (ldp3@hi.is).

DATES AND DEADLINES

October 1: Submission of proposals to the editors

February 1: Full paper submissions

PUBLICATION

This volume will be published by Trivent Medieval in the book series Old Norse Studies, edited by Felix Lummer. 

Download the Call for Papers HERE.