The First International Conference of the Early Slavic Studies Association took place at The Ohio State University on March 7-8, 2025. The event was sponsored by The Hilandar Research Library (HRL) and The Resource Center for Medieval Slavic Studies (RCMSS).
The conference theme was “Archive,” which the participants, who joined from Europe and North America, interpreted in various engaging ways. New archival findings were presented, new interpretations of the existing sources were offered, new understandings of the “archive” and our collective challenges in archival exploration were addressed and explored. Besides presentations and discussions, the panelists and attendees had plenty of time to exchange views, discuss their projects and opportunities for collaboration.
The Organizing Committee, Maria Ivanova, Ines Garcia del Puente, and Iulia Nitescu, structured the conference in six panels. The first panel focused on Foreign Sources on the Slavic World. The panelists covered early Rus’ as well as the image of Eastern Europe in the Hortus Sanitatis and the Early Modern conflicts in the Baltic Sea region. Whoever wanted to know more about aurochs got their money’s worth. The second panel, Institutions, was dedicated to political and ecclesiastical history in Muscovy. The papers in the third panel, Cultural Production, addressed various topics from art history to manuscript production.
The tour of the Hilandar Research Library, expertly curated by Mary-Allen “Pasha” Johnson, featured an impressive array of icons and rare books.
The first day concluded with a panel on Manuscripts and Prints, covering manuscript translations in Ruthenia, the Illustrated Chronicle Compilation, and the works of Prince Semen Shakhovskoi. The dinner reception gave all panelists ample opportunities to network and talk through the Friday papers.
The second day started with a panel on Manuscripts and finished with one on Digital Humanities and the Archives. This last panel led to a long discussion about the avenues for philological analysis and historical study that are opened by newly developed tools and apps.
The evaluation after the conference was entirely positive. Participants and organizers agreed that the Early Slavic Studies Association should consider organizing future conferences with a similar format and intellectual atmosphere. The business meeting of the Association during ASEEES will certainly approach this idea. Essays developed from the conference presentations will be published in Canadian-American Slavic Studies.
The Early Slavic Studies Association thanks the Hilandar Research Library and the Resource Center for Medieval Slavic Studies at The Ohio State University (OSU), and Mary-Allen “Pasha” Johnson personally, for the generous support of the conference, as well as the OSU community and the guests for their interest in the event.
