Despite ancient and modern critical attempts to separate formal historiography from other conceptions and representations of the past (e.g. myths, legends, folktales), the interpenetration between these strands of historical thinking has been observed in many fields of antiquity. For example, mythological and legendary materials are often present in historiographical sources, while historical events or characters are frequently mythologized in literary traditions. Much in early relations and ongoing interactions between formal historiography and other cognitive and interpretative registers of human reckoning with the past, as well as in the implications of these interactions, is yet to be explored.
The conference “Historical Consciousness and Historiography (3000 BC – AD 600)” to be held on September 17-19, 2014 at Merton College, University of Oxford brings together twenty experts, representing twelve research institutions, from Anthropology, Assyriology & Sumerology, Biblical & Jewish Studies, Classics, East Asian Studies, Egyptology, Hittitology, and Indo-European Studies to address three main issues: (1) the ways different traditions of historical consciousness informed or contributed to the rise of formal historiography; (2) the ways formal historiography and other traditions of historical consciousness interacted during their transmission; and (3) the implications of such interactions for cultural heritage, collective memory, and later understandings of history.
The Hellenic Society and the Classical Association have generously provided grants to fund postgraduate student attendance at the conference Historical Consciousness and Historiography (3000 BC – AD 600). Two applicants will receive three nights accommodation in Merton College, free registration, lunches, and a dinner with the speakers. Several other applicants may be awarded free conference registration (conference fee is £65, which includes lunches and coffee/tea with refreshment).
Applicants should send a CV and a short cover letter explaining how the conference theme (see details at http://www.classics.ox.ac.uk/conference-theme.html) contributes to their own research. These should be sent to the Chief Organiser, Dr Samuel Chen at [email protected] no later than August 20th, 2014. Applicants who have greater travel expenses (i.e. those travelling from a greater distance) will be given priority for the accommodation bursaries. Every applicant must be a current Masters/PhD student at a university.
For more information on the conference, visit the website at: http://www.classics.ox.ac.uk/historical-consciousness-and-historiography.html
