This is a conference aimed at those in the latter stages of their PhD, those engaged in post- doctoral research, or early career academics. It is intended to bring together people from across the three subject areas of Crusade, Byzantine and Islamic history to generate scholarly contacts and to give an insight into the workings and approaches of these fields; it will also provide participants with an opportunity to have their work analysed by contemporaries and a panel of distinguished commentators.

The conference will discuss pre-circulated papers of 5,000 words. Interested parties should, in the first instance, send a proposal of 500 words to one of the convenors listed below by 30 October 2010. Completed papers will be required by 30 April 2011 for circulation. The conference will also feature full-length lectures by leading scholars. Those who wish to listen and comment on the papers, rather than presenting their own work, are very welcome to attend. They are invited to contact schenk@ghil.ac.uk by 30 June 2011 and are strongly encouraged to familiarise themselves with the content in advance.

We hope to be able to offer some financial support – details of this and the format of the meeting will follow via the Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East website at: <http://www.sscle.org>.
Those travelling from abroad may wish to know that the Leeds International Medieval Congress follows the week after this event.

For further information, please contact Professor Jonathan Phillips (Royal Holloway, University of London) J.P.Phillips@rhul.ac.uk; Dr Jochen Schenk (German Historical Institute London) schenk@ghil.ac.uk; Dr William Purkis (University of Birmingham) w.j.purkis@bham.ac.uk.