CFP: Foreign Relations in the Ancient Mediterranean World

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Foreign Relations in the Ancient Mediterranean World
GRADUATE CONFERENCE
March 18, 2017
Department of Classical Studies, Boston University
Keynote: Professor Bruce Hitchner, Tufts University
Boston University’s 2017 Graduate Conference in Classical Studies will consider the place of empires, kingdoms, and other political entities in their larger regional, commercial, and diplomatic contexts both within and beyond the borders of Classical Antiquity. Such states have always depended on anageable coexistence with neighboring powers. These foreign relations were the key to maintaining their ever-fragile grip on peace and prosperity - or on authority - abroad. This conference welcomes submissions in Classical Studies, Ancient History, and related disciplines that explore the means by which Bronze and Iron Age civilizations negotiated the delicate and variable world of foreign relations, diplomacy, and cultural connectivity to pursue and preserve their interests.Possible topics for consideration include, but are not limited to: theories of patriotism and domination, the state’s use of trade and commerce, historiography of diplomacy, multiculturalism and isolation, colonization and kinship ties, motivations for peace and war, realpolitik vs.altruism in diplomacy, cultural borrowings within political institutions,foreign relations in epic and drama, and the application of the classics to modern foreign policy. Submissions that emphasize comparative,diachronic, or environmental methodologies are especially welcome.
Submissions are due December 15, 2016.
Please send your abstract of no more than 300 words to BUclassicsgradconf@gmail.com with the subject line "BU Grad Conference Submission." The abstract should be an attachment with no identifying information; please