Submissions of papers are invited for our third annual conference on

"ARABIC AND JUDAIC INFLUENCES IN AND AROUND DANTE ALIGHIERI"

to be held at Gonville and Caius College (Bateman Auditorium), University of Cambridge, on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th September 2003.

Each year we bring together scholars from around the world to examine the elements of Arabic and Judaic culture which informed the cultural worldview
of medieval Europe and hence lie at the roots of present European culture.

We focus on Dante because from our preliminary researches it is obvious that much work requires to be done here, and that there are exciting things waiting to be uncovered.

Our recent work has included: a study of falconry (and its associated imagery) as an import from the Arab world; the writings of the Rome-based Jewish poet Immanuello Romano; the Arab and Judaic culture of the courts of Frederick II (Sicily) and Can Grande della Scala (Verona); the Arabo-Judaic origins of the sonnet; the work of the Florentine missionaries of Dante's time who preached among the Arabs; links between Dante and medieval Jewish thought; the Arabic tradition of "heavenly ascent" literature and its relation with the Divina Commedia; the importation of Arab models in music, architecture, dress, cooking; and of course the whole Arabo-Judaic tradition of science and philosophy.

Papers should be about 20 minutes in length.

If you do not wish to present a paper but would like to attend the conference, please send your contact details to ed.emery@britishlibrary.net. 

Ed Emery