The Centre for Reformation and Early Modern Studies is the focus for a broad range of conferences, workshops and symposia organised by CREMS staff, and attended by academics and postgraduates from across the UK and around the world.
This page contains information about forthcoming events, as well as brief details of past meetings. The University of Birmingham is the perfect location for academic conferences, and is easily accessible by road, rail and air. CREMS events take place across a range of venues, from the vibrant Edgbaston campus to the idyllic Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Forthcoming Events
Sin and Salvation in Reformation England
26-28 June 2013, The Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon
Keynote Speakers: Dr Arnold Hunt, Prof. Alec Ryrie, & Prof. Alexandra Walsham
Sin and Salvation were the two central religious preoccupations of men and women in sixteenth century England, and yet the reformation fundamentally reconfigured the theological, intellectual, social and cultural landscape in which these two conceptual landmarks were sited. The abolition of purgatory, the ending of intercessory prayer, the rejection of works of supererogation and the collapse of the medieval economy of salvation meant that it was impossible for attitudes, hopes, fears and expectations about sin and salvation to survive the reformation unchanged. This conference will explore some of the transformations and permutations which the concepts of sin and salvation underwent over the course of the Reformation in England, as well as the practical consequences of these changes as lived.
Online registration for this conference is now open via the University of Birmingham online shop. There are all-inclusive and day-only packages available, including a reduced student/unwaged rate. All delegates and speakers will need to book their own accommodation in Stratford-upon-Avon for the duration of the conference. If you have any queries, please email Dr Jonathan Willis.
Past Events
New Directions in Catholic Reformation Research
Date & Venue: Saturday 9 June 2012; Arts Building, Edgsbaston Campus
Organisers: Elaine Fulton and Simone Laqua-O'Donnell
A one-day colloquium reflecting on recent developments, discussing emerging trends and presenting new thoughts on early modern Catholicism in all its guises. More than a dozen participants gave short presentations regarding their research, including: Liz Tingle, Mary Laven, Silvia Evangelisti, Katy Gibbons, Jonathan Willis, and Margaret Small.
Gardens and Gardening in early modern England
Date & Venue: Saturday 18 June 2011; The Birmingham and Midland Institute
Organiser: Jill Francis
A one-day colloquium hosted by the Early Modern Gardens in Perspective Research Network, in conjunction with the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Trinity College Dublin. Speakers included: Dianne Barr, Anna Keay, Paula Henderson, Celia Downie, Donna Canada-Smith, Jill Francis, David Marsh and Sarah Alyn Stacey
The Cultural Agency of Chaplains in Early Modern Britain: A One-Day Colloquium
Date & Venue: Saturday 26 June 2010; The Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon
Organisers: Hugh Adlington, Tom Lockwood, Gillian Wright
A one-day colloquium exploring the important, but often hidden, contributions made by chaplains of the nobility and gentry to early modern culture. Speakers included: David Crankshaw, Kenneth Fincham, William Gibson, Tom Lockwood, Erica Longfellow, Mary Morrissey, and Angus Vine.
Crossing the Channel: England and the Continent in the Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Centuries
Date & Venue: Friday 26 June 2009; The Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon
Organisers: Margaret Small and Alexandra Gajda
A one-day colloquium exploring intellectual, diplomatic and cultural links between England and continental Europe. Speakers included: Raphael Hallett, Catherine Fletcher, Catherine Gibbons, Sarah Mortimer, Toby Osborne, Aysha Pollnitz, Astrid Stilma, Tracey Sowerby.
Religion and Violence in Early Modern France: the Work of Natalie Zemon Davis
Date & Venue: Saturday 28 June 2008; The Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon
Organisers: Graeme Murdock, Penny Roberts (Warwick), Andrew Spicer (Oxford Brookes) and Andrew Pettegree (St Andrews)
A one-day conference celebrating the work of Professor Natalie Zemon Davis, on the occasion of the thirty-fifth anniversary of the publication of her seminal article 'The Rites of Violence: Religious Riot in Sixteenth Century France', organised jointly by CREMS and the universities of Warwick, Oxford Brookes and St Andrews. Professor Davis herself spoke on the genesis and context of her article, and other speakers included: Mack Holt, Philip Benedict, Mark Greengrass, Stuart Carroll. The conference has resulted in a special supplementary edition of Past and Present (click here to view the table of contents).
'La France Outremer': Expeditions, Encounters and Exchanges
Date & Venue: Saturday 7 July 2007; The Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon
Organisers: Graeme Murdock and Penny Roberts (Warwick)
A one-day conference organised jointly between CREMS and Warwick University, exploring the experience of the French overseas during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. During this period of early colonial ventures and missionary endeavours there was a fluid and competitive situation for the advancement of European interests overseas. France is often viewed as having lagged behind other European powers in exploiting these opportunities. One of the main concerns of this workshop was to interrogate this perception through a series of case studies and in a variety of geographical contexts.
Everyday Objects: Medieval and Early Modern Material Culture and its Meanings
Date & Venue: 27-30 June 2007; The Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon
Organisers: Tara Hamling and Catherine Richardson
A major international and interdisciplinary conference that brought together academics working in humanities disciplines, museum professionals and conservators to discuss current research in the field of material culture studies. Around forty participants gave papers on subjects as diverse as clothing, ritual, pottery and music. Plenary lectures were delivered by John Styles and David Gaimster. The conference resulted in an edited collection, published in 2010:
Tara Hamling and Catherine Richardson (eds), Everyday Objects: Medieval and Early Modern Material Culture and its Meanings (Ashgate, 2010).
Urban Life in Early Modern France
Date & Venue: 10 June 2006; The Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon
Organiser: Graeme Murdock
This workshop explored current research on urban life in early modern France, focussing in particular on the second half of the sixteenth century, and on themes including governance and authority, religious life and confessional identities, and gender and society. Speakers included: Robin Briggs, Kevin Gould, Ray Mentzer, Eric Nelson, Wendy Perkins, Penny Roberts, Andrew Spicer and Liz Tingle.