The second annual Aberdeen Medieval and Early Modern Conference, ‘Violence in the Medieval and Early Modern North,’ was held last month, from May 25th to 26th with the generous help of the Scottish Society for Northern Studies by way of the Postgraduate/Early Career Conference Grant. The conference was held in the Sir Duncan Rice Library at the University of Aberdeen and included panels on Viking Age Violence, Violence in Literature and Art, Military in Early Modern Scotland, and Violence Through Law and Authority in addition to a keynote lecture ‘The First Scottish War Poets: Barbour and Wyntoun’ given by Dr Alastair J. Macdonald. The University Special Collections also graciously agreed to hold a special exhibition and creative workshop for our attendees on the morning of May 26th.

The conference brought together over thirty academics from eight different countries, including in-person presenters from as far as British Columbia in Canada. With the funding from the SSNS we were able to provide the conference, including tea, coffee, and lunch on both days, and a wine reception in the university’s beautiful Chanonry Lodge, completely free of charge for our attendees. The organising committee would once again like to thank the Scottish Society for Northern Studies for their kind assistance in funding this conference, which we hope to be the second in a continued annual tradition.

Author: Miles Lourenco