25. Međunarodni kongres bizantskih studija (Beč, 24–29. kolovoza 2026) – Tema: “Byzantium beyond Byzantium”
The International Congress of Byzantine Studies is the world’s largest academic event dedicated to the latest research and findings on the Byzantine Empire, its history, and culture. Since the first congress in 1924 in Bucharest, it has been held approximately every five years in different locations, attracting up to 1,500 participants in recent years. In 2026, the 25th Congress will take place in Vienna, where researchers from around the globe will present their work in hundreds of presentations. Cultural events and receptions will offer numerous opportunities for informal exchange. Exhibitions and collaborations with the city of Vienna and individual cultural institutions will also make the academic research accessible to a wider audience.
About the conference topic
Byzantine studies in the 21st century is flourishing. From Argentina and Turkey to China and Japan, from Johannesburg to Trondheim, and from Los Angeles to Moscow, countless scholars from diverse cultural backgrounds engage with the Byzantine Middle Ages. They employ both traditional methods and digital techniques to comprehensively study the history, culture, and environment of the Eastern Mediterranean from the 4th to the 15th century. Increasingly, the field is examined in interaction with its neighboring disciplines, as the medieval Roman Empire was part of the global Middle Ages in an Afro-Eurasian context. Interactions with the Latin West, the Slavic world, and especially Islam were omnipresent. This perspective allows for new insights into the influence of Byzantine culture by expanding the geographical scope beyond the boundaries of the Byzantine Empire and the chronological framework beyond the fall of Constantinople. This approach highlights the enduring impact of Byzantine culture far beyond the empire’s borders. The congress theme “Byzantium beyond Byzantium” reflects these premises: it draws on the concept of “Byzance après Byzance,” proposed in 1935 by the Romanian national historian Nicolae Iorga (1871–1940), which remains frequently cited today despite some problematic political views of its author. While Iorga primarily considered the reception of Byzantine culture in the Danubian principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, the geographical and thematic scope here is understood and conceptualized more broadly. “Byzantium beyond Byzantium” in the 21st century provides an opportunity to uncover new, unexpected insights by considering Byzantine culture in its full complexity and far-reaching influence up to the present day.
Program kongresa dostupan je online na: https://www.icbs2026.org/program/
Webstranica kongresa: https://www.icbs2026.org/