The Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation hosted with great success the International Virtual Conference “Borderland: Christian Identities and Cultures in Early Modern Cyprus and Beyond” (6-7 May 2022). The Conference was part of the research project “Aspects of Multiconfessionalism and Human Geography in Early Modern Cyprus, from the Venetians to the Ottomans (CyChrist)” (0961/0060). Co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus, through the Research and Innovation Foundation, CyChrist is hosted by the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation.
The co-organisers of the Conference were the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge and the Hellenic Institute, the Centre for Greek Diaspora Studies and the Centre for the GeoHumanities at Royal Holloway, University of London. The Conference was dedicated to the loving memory of Michael Heslop (1941-2022), whose research concentrated on borderland communities in Late Byzantium, especially in the Dodecanese and the Mani.
The Conference examined Cyprus as borderland, during the late medieval and early modern period (15th-18th centuries). Scholars from Cyprus, Malta, Italy, Germany, Britain, Ireland and North America, approached the diachronic question of religious and cultural diversity and co-existence, employing a variety of methodological tools and perspectives, in order to understand identities in a deeper and more precise way. A highly innovative element in the Conference was the interdisciplinary synthesis of the panels, which included contributions by Byzantinists, Medievalists, Early Modernists, experts in Modern Greek Literature, archaeologists, theologians and anthropologists. The speakers engaged in fruitful and congenial dialogue during the Conference. Apart from the speakers and moderators, the Conference received approximately 30 participants from Cyprus and abroad. The proceedings are expected to be published at a future stage.
For the Conference’s programme and abstracts, please visit the Cultural Foundation’s webpage at: https://www.boccf.org/research-programmes/CyChrist/
