4th International Late Antique and Byzantine Studies Graduate Conference, Vienna

May 22, 2026: Central European University, Quellenstrasse 51, D001, 1100 Vienna.
May 23, 2026: Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, University of Vienna, Postgasse 9, Lecture Hall, 1010 Vienna.

Central European University and University of Vienna are pleased to announce the 4th International Late Antique and Byzantine Studies Graduate Conference, titled “Otherness in Byzantium: Imagining, Encountering, Excluding”. The conference, to be held in person on May 22 – 23, 2026, will feature keynote addresses by Koray Durak of Boğaziçi University and Ingela Nilsson of Uppsala University.

How the Other is constructed has been extensively explored within post-structuralism and deconstructive theory, starting with the seminal works of Derrida and Foucault. In this conference, we wish to approach the concept of otherness from two complementary perspectives. On the one hand, we intend to investigate how the Byzantines imagined an idealized self-identity, in a dialectic way, through the construction of the Other. This includes exploring the strategies used by social groups to construct a self-perception distinct from outsiders. On the other hand, we aim to address the issue of deconstructing our own gaze as scholars dealing with regions and peoples that have been historically otherized.

For the full program please see:  https://historicalstudies.ceu.edu/article/2026-03-27/otherness-byzantium-imagining-encountering-excluding