MEMSA Conference 2025

Final photo of the conference, thank you to everyone who came over the two days - whether for the whole conference or popped in for part of it.

Safe journey home

Our first talk of this year's conference is the first of our two Keynotes. This morning, we are hearing from Dr Seb Falk, who will be discussing “(How) Did Medieval People Actually Do Science?”

It’s the first day of the MEMSA conference. We have two days of exciting panels on this year's theme: Illuminating Nature: Explorations of Science, Religion, and Magic. Delegates are currently at registration before things kick off at 10.15!

This. Protect trans kids. Protect trans rights. Gender is a spectrum. Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Non-binary people exist. Inter-sex & DSD people exist. Gender-non-conforming people exist. Transphobia is anti-feminist. Laws are often wrong and unjust. We must fight for a fairer future.

Why does ‘protecting women’ never look like harsher punishments for rape, assault and femicide that almost exclusively happens at the hand of cis men? Why isn’t it free sanitary products? Why not more money into the NHS to help sick women? Why is it always an attack on our most vulnerable sisters?

Reminder that it is two weeks for the deadline to send in your abstracts for this year's MEMSA Conference!

We would also like to thank @sshmedicine.bsky.social for supporting the conference this year

Please circulate widely #medievaltwitter #earlymodern

In years to come we'll look at this era and wonder why in light of a global pandemic, economic inflation, growing inequality and technological upheaval we decided to make the private lives of a minority considerably worse.

MEMSA is thrilled to announce that the CfP for our 19th Annual Conference is now open!

The theme is 'Illuminating Nature: Explorations of Science, Religion, and Magic'

Please see below for the full CfP

The deadline is the 30th April!

Last week, members of MEMSA were taken on a tour of the hidden histories of the Castle. Thank you to Eric Cambridge and Lottie Thompson for the thrilling exploration.

Thank you also for University College for allowing us to delve into Castle's history and to IMEMS for providing the funding.

The PhD may have seeped into my spotify wrapped but hard to say...

This year we are expanding the MEMSA blog which is available on our website! Our Blog Officer Maddy has put together an exciting schedule of posts for the upcoming year which will cover the Postgraduate experience at Durham, research trips and some fun medieval and early modern curiosities!

The fact that Cynthia Erivo's 'No Good Deed' already exists but we can't have it for almost a year...

Exclusively listening to the BBC Merlin Soundtrack when writing about King Arthur is doing wonders for productivity

You can now read our interview with Saaleha ahead of their talk on Monday durhammemsa.wordpress.com/2024/11/20/i...

Hello!

MEMSA (Medieval and Early Modern Student Association) is an interdisciplinary group run by Postgraduate Students at Durham University. We run a seminar series, community course and an annual conference.

So follow us to keep up to date with all things Medieval and Early Modern in Durham!