**Registration now open here.**

 

Life in the central and late Middle Ages was characterised by high levels of mobility and migration. Developments in manufacturing, trade, education, and diplomacy, as well as political and religious conflict and persecution encouraged and at times forced various individuals and groups to move ‘abroad’, permanently or temporarily, to places nearby or further afield. Each had their own different socio-economic background, political allegiance, language, cultural heritage, and faith.

The position and impact of these ‘foreigners’ in societies across Europe and the Mediterranean has been widely discussed. However, what is less discussed is how these individuals and groups understood and (re)presented themselves. Our conference seeks to explore the construction, expression, and practical significance of different forms of ‘social identity’ among individuals and groups living ‘abroad’ in Europe and the Mediterranean in the period between the eleventh and the fifteenth century.

By bringing together a variety of different perspectives, the conference aims to consider not only how ‘identity abroad’ functioned in specific contexts, but also to identify and emphasise developments, patterns, and divergences. This will allow us to reflect more broadly on how the topic can be approached in the pre-modern period and beyond, speaking to current social challenges in a world which is more mobile than ever.

**We plan to hold the conference in person in Cambridge. However, this may change to reflect developments relating to Covid-19. We will update the information on this website regularly, and share changes via email and Twitter.**

 

Contact: identityabroad22@gmail.com.

(Image: detail from Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS. Espagnol 30, Abraham Cresques, Atlas de cartes marines (c.1375) )