The litany derives from ancient religious rites. Throughout the ages, however, it spread across many countries and became much more than a mere form of prayer. As has been demonstrated by our recent studies on the litanic forms in European poetry it is possible to reconstruct a cultural and literary map of European regions that traces the level of their participation in and contribution to the litanic tradition. The litanic verse is marked by religious semantics, but it also bears the mark of inter-European divisions, such as those experienced between and within various denominations, countries and nations, as well as the original folk cultures. Therefore, the litany may be of interest to scholars specializing in areas such the emergence of national identities and religious minorities, the crossover between art and religion as well as between music and poetry, the history of liturgy and spiritual life, the cultural exchanges between various nations.

Presentation

The research team “Litanic Verse in the Culture of European Regions” (University of Warsaw, www.wiersz.uw.edu.pl/gb) is preparing a panel proposal for the following conference: European Academy of Religion, First Annual Conference, Bologna March 5-8, 2018,www.europeanacademyofreligion.org

The panel will be entitled: Litany in the arts and culture

Scholars representing various disciplines are kindly encouraged to submit paper proposals focusing on litanies and their forms and representations in different spheres of culture, including liturgy, literature, music, the visual arts, spirituality, and philosophy.

The deadline for abstract submission is 10 December 2017.

Argument

The litany derives from ancient religious rites. Throughout the ages, however, it spread across many countries and became much more than a mere form of prayer. As has been demonstrated by our recent studies on the litanic forms in European poetry (Sadowski, Kowalska, Kubas 2016[*]) it is possible to reconstruct a cultural and literary map of European regions that traces the level of their participation in and contribution to the litanic tradition. The litanic verse is marked by religious semantics, but it also bears the mark of inter-European divisions, such as those experienced between and within various denominations, countries and nations, as well as the original folk cultures. Therefore, the litany may be of interest to scholars specializing in areas such the emergence of national identities and religious minorities, the crossover between art and religion as well as between music and poetry, the history of liturgy and spiritual life, the cultural exchanges between various nations.

Main topics

Papers focusing on the following perspectives are especially welcome:

•  the evolution and status of the litany and litanic prayers in the different rites;
•  the litany in musical compositions from the historical and theoretical point of view;
•  litanic songs in the history of regional religious cultures;
•  litany-like enumerations in folk poetry and pop lyrics;
•  litanic rhythm in modern and contemporary poetry;
•  litanic rhythm in the literature of the ancient Near East (e.g. Syrian and Coptic poetry and prose) as well as in Greek literature (pre-Byzantine and Byzantine, Christian and non-Christian, poetry and prose, various genres);
•  litany-like conventions in Jewish liturgical poetry;
•  the poetics of litanic and pseudo-litanic texts in the light of philosophy (e.g. the philosophy and theology of language, numbers, names, repeatability);
•  litanic rhythm in mystical treatises, letters, and memoirs as well as in philosophical texts (medieval, modern, contemporary);
•  the litany as reflected in visual and performing arts.

Submission guidelines

In order to discuss these and other matters we will meet during the First Annual Conference of European Academy of Religion. The conference will take place from 5 to 8 March 2018 in Bologna. If you want to join us, please, send an abstract of your presentation (1000 characters maximum with spaces) together with a short bio to: m.kowalska4@uw.edu.pl by the deadline of 10 December 2017. The panel language is English.

Scientific coordination

• Witold Sadowski, Deputy Director of the Institute of Polish Literature at the University of Warsaw, Leader of the Section for the Poetics of Verse at the same University, Principal Investigator in the Project Litanic Verse in the Culture of the European Regions
• Magdalena Kowalska, Research Assistant in the Project Litanic Verse in the Culture of the European Regions
• Magdalena Maria Kubas, Research Assistant in the Project Litanic Verse in the Culture of the European Regions

For further information regarding registrations, fees, and accommodations please check the conference website: www.europeanacademyofreligion.org

For more information about the project “Litanic Verse in the Culture of the European Regions” please visit our website: www.wiersz.uw.edu.pl/gb; http://www.wiersz.uw.edu.pl/fr/ (in French).

[*] Litanic Verse I: Origines, Iberia, Slavia et Europa Media, eds. W. Sadowski, M. Kowalska, M.M. Kubas (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2016); Litanic Verse II: Britannia, Germania et Scandinavia, eds. W. Sadowski, M. Kowalska, M.M. Kubas (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2016).