The program unit invites papers for two open-call sessions.
(1) Games in/as Continuing Education in Mediterranean Antiquity
Ancient Mediterranean texts are saturated with sayings, riddles, even mathematical puzzles. These are often attributed to pedagogical contexts, but we know that the ancients had a different concept of childhood and, accordingly, of what was “childish” or child-like. Even simple games such as hide-and-seek or knucklebones were played by adults. Mathematical and literary knowledge was displayed in drinking games at dinner tables. Alphabetic verses and mnemonics, although thought to be suitable to educate children, were expounded. Number games were woven into recreational and professional activities. For this session, we invite papers that discuss how games and playful interactions (both those accompanying early education and more sophisticated later ones) shaped ancient texts.
(2) Social Contexts of Education in Late Antiquity
Late ancient education was embedded in varied social networks, cultural institutions, and political hierarchies. Education reflects not only its “content” but also the social configurations of learning, from elementary education to advanced intellectual enterprises. For this session, we invite papers that explore the social contexts of late ancient education. How did the social, political, and economic conditions of education shape the societies and knowledges of the late ancient Mediterranean world? How can attending to social contexts help us reconceptualize intellectual projects that are often de-historicized? We particularly encourage papers that deploy innovative critical approaches and those that analyze overlooked sources (textual or otherwise).
The scope of both calls is capacious in terms of chronology, geography, religious context, language, and methodology. Papers will be fifteen minutes long, followed by fifteen minutes of discussion.