Call for papers

About

The Historical English Analysis and Research Tradition (HEART) Conference aims to gather specialists in English mediaeval language, literature, and culture. It offers a platform for interdisciplinary exchange on the research methods and new interpretations of the materials dated up to 1700. Its second edition will be held in person 16-17.04.2027 at the Faculty of Modern Languages in Warsaw.

The year 2027, marking fifteen centuries since the accession of Emperor Justinian, features Byzantium as an intermediary between the classical and the medieval world. Byzantium was not only the “second Rome” and the spiritual centre of Eastern Christianity, but also a lasting cultural myth – a symbol of splendour and distance. Its legacy has resonated in European writings and imagination from medieval chronicles to modern poetry and fiction.

For linguists and literary scholars, Byzantium represents not only a centre of transmission of ancient Greek and Roman learning but also a place where languages, scripts, and interpretative traditions interacted. Through its bilingual culture, its commentaries on grammar and rhetoric, and its preservation of ancient lexicons, it shaped the evolution of medieval literacy, translation practices, and textual scholarship that later paved the way to Renaissance humanism. Incidentally, the year preceding the conference, 2026, will have witnessed the 500th anniversary of the publication of Tyndale Bible, translated from Greek. This event seen in the Byzantine context may inspire translation studies potentially ranging far beyond Biblical scholarship only.

Byzantine legacy encourages also reflections on the nature of the presence and presentation of Greek language and Greek culture and the East in Western civilization. Turbulent connections with Byzantium in the times of the crusades had far-reaching historical, cultural and literary consequences. Renewed contact with Arab and Jewish philosophy led to a broadened awareness of the Aristotelian corpus, which gave rise to the flowering of scholastic thought.

Cherishing this heritage, HEART 2 seeks to find new insights into how medieval languages and literature both preserve and transform knowledge across the fields of historical linguistics, literary studies, manuscript studies, and translation.

We welcome proposals on any topic related to aspects of linguistic, literary, and cultural research on English up to 1700, including, but not limited to, historical phonology, morphology and syntax, semantics and pragmatics, lexical studies, language contact, manuscript studies, linguistic variation, language change, Old English, Middle English, and Early Modern literature, the orality/literacy nexus, courtly and chivalric culture, medievalism after 1700, esp. in modern fantasy, as well as reflection on the concept of kingship and the coronation ritual. 

A proposal for a 20-minute presentation should be a 300-word abstract (exclusive of references). An abstract should clearly state research questions, the approach, method, data, and results. Abstracts should also list three to five keywords.  It is expected that any paper presented at the HEART Conference is original and has not been previously presented or published.

In addition, we welcome proposals for thematic sessions. Each session should include three related papers that explore a common theme or topic within the scope of the conference. Proposals for thematic sessions should include a 200-word summary of the overall theme, highlighting its relevance and significance to the field, as well as individual 300-word abstracts for each of the three papers.

All proposals should be sent in .doc or .docx format to: heart.conference25@gmail.com.

The deadline for proposals is 30 November 2026. 

Submissions will be subjected to a peer-review process. Notification of acceptance will be sent out by mid January.

Conference fee: 100 euros

If you have any questions or queries please get in touch with our secretaries: heart.conference25@gmail.com

In the body of the email, please include the following information: title of paper, name of author, scientific degree, affiliation, research area (linguistics or literature).

We hope to see you in Warsaw in April!