IMC 2020: Sessions

This round table discussion aims to provide a forum to compare and contrast the various borders and border regions in the British Isles from c.1100 to the end of the Middle Ages, drawing on 'The Marches of Britain and Ireland, 1100-1400' and 'England and Scotland at Peace and War in the Later Middle Ages' strands, and on the overall conference theme more generally. How were borders conceptualised, and how did the meanings of terms such as 'march' and 'pale' develop and change? How do the arrangements for the government, administration, and defence of the different borders, marches, and pales compare? And how did these different arrangements affect the development of the various border regions themselves? Central to these issues is the question of cross-border acculturation, and the development of distinctive border cultures and language. We will consider commonalities in border life, and the development of border or marcher identities; textual exchange, intertextuality, and book transmission in the various border regions; and perceptions of neighbouring cultures. We will also consider the political and cultural influences these various border regions may have exerted over the wider polities of the British Isles.

Participants include Simon Egan (University of Glasgow), Helen Fulton (University of Bristol), Georgia Henley (Saint Anselm College, New Hampshire), and Andy King (University of Southampton).