CALL FOR PAPERS: ICES 22: Panel: Our Lady Mary: her Life and Miracles in Text and Image (1400-1800)Hawassa University, 29 September – 03 October 2025

24 February 2025

St Mary, the revered mother of God (Theotokos), holds an unparalleled place of devotion in Ethiopia, second only to Jesus Christ. Rooted in Gospel accounts (Luke 1:27–35), her significance encompasses divine maternity, perpetual virginity, and purity. Ethiopia uniquely upholds the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, with Marian worship believed to have begun as soon as her story became known to the people. The circulation of Marian texts in Ethiopia began during the reign of Emperor Dawit II (r. 1380–1413 CE), marked by the emergence of Taʾammǝra Māryām (The Miracles of Mary) manuscripts as an exemplary genre in the late 14th century. However, it was under his son, Emperor Zarʾa Yāʿqob (r. 1434–1468 CE), that the Marian literary tradition flourished. His reign saw the introduction of additional texts, including Nagara Māryām (‘The Story of Mary’), Maṣḥafa Lǝdatā la-Māryām (‘The Story of Mary’s Nativity’), Maṣḥafa ʿƎraftā la-Māryām (‘The Book of Dormition of Mary’), Maṣḥafa ʾƎrgatā la-Māryām (‘The Book of Ascension of Mary’), Dǝrsana Māryām (‘The Homily of Mary’), Wǝddāse Māryām (‘The Praise of Mary’),ʾAnqaṣa bǝrhān (‘The Gate of Light’), Raʿǝya Māryām (‘The Vision of Mary’) and other hymnographic texts. From the 17th century onward, Taʾammǝra Māryām and Nagara Māryām became particularly prominent, featuring original and comprehensive pictorial cycles that pioneered the First and Second-Gondarine-styles of manuscript illumination.

Our panel aims to explore the textual and artistic development of Ethiopian Marian texts, focusing on their evolution, decoration, and cultural significance.

 We welcome proposals addressing:

• Literary and theological aspects of Marian texts
• Manuscript illumination and artistic traditions
• The historical impact of these works

We warmly welcome all interested scholars to submit their paper abstracts via email to either of the panel organizers listed below. Abstracts should be between 250 and 300 words and must be submitted by May 30, 2025. We would also like to address potential funding matters for those whose abstracts are accepted in the future. Please note that securing funding for registration fees, flights, and accommodation for conference attendance will be the responsibility of the accepted participants. We highly recommend that funding issues be addressed in a timely manner should your abstract be accepted.

We look forward to your participation!

Panel Organizers:

Jutta Sperling – Professor of History at Hampshire College, currently conducting research on the manuscript tradition of the Ethiopian Nagara Māryām manuscripts.
· Email address: jsperling"AT"hampshire.edu

Guesh Solomon –PhD student at the Beta maṣāḥǝft (Manuscripts of Ethiopia and Eritrea) project, Hiob Ludolf Centre for Ethiopian and Eritrean Studies, University of Hamburg, Germany. Dissertation title ‘The Association of Texts and Illuminations in the ʾAkkonu bǝʾsi-type Illustrated Manuscripts of the Ethiopian Miracles of Mary’
· Email address: guesh.solomon.teklu"AT"uni-hamburg.de