14th International Conference on Middle English
3–6 June 2026, Zurich, Switzerland
The International Conference on Middle English (ICOME) started in the mid 1990s as a bi-/triennial conference and has been organised by leading universities in the field of the history of English across Europe (Poznań, Helsinki, Dublin, Vienna, Naples, Cambridge, Murcia, Stavanger, Florence, Glasgow, Málaga, etc.). Traditionally, ICOME gathers researchers working on both Middle English language and literature, including perspectives on variation and change, textual and manuscript studies, literary and cultural approaches, language contact, pragmatics and narratology.
The English Department at Zurich has a long history of researching and teaching Middle English. Currently, it is home to two projects related to Middle English:
- Waxing and Waning Words: Lexical Variation and Change in Middle English (WAW-ME)
- Who does What to Whom: Strategies of Argument Disambiguation in early English ( WWW-SArDeEn)
It is also involved in an international project based at the University of Westminster:
- An English Teacher in Paris: John of Garland's Dictionarius and Medieval Language Learning (John of Garland's Dictionarius)
These affiliations highlight Zurich’s expertise in Middle English studies and provide a unique opportunity to showcase cutting-edge research that resonates with the core themes of the conference.
The 14th edition of ICOME will be held on 3–6 June 2026 on the idyllic Au peninsula, located on the southwestern shore of Lake Zurich (Schloss Au). The theme of the conference will be “Travel and Travelling”. We encourage papers dealing with any aspect of the theme, e.g. Middle English lexis of travel, medieval English travellers, important journeys, travelling texts and manuscripts, etc. Papers unconnected to the conference’s theme are also welcome.
The conference will feature an excursion to Einsiedeln, where we will visit the Abbey (Kloster) and walk a stretch of the Way of St. James (Camino), following in the footsteps of medieval pilgrims.
Duration: 2.5–3 days
Formats: Plenary lectures, panels, round tables, posters
Organising Committee: Marina Asián, Rihab Ayed, Annina Seiler, Nicole Studer-Joho, Olga Timofeeva, Johanna Vogelsanger, Jasmine Wolfensberger
Image: Detail from the Short Psalter, produced in the early 14th century at Malmesbury Abbey (St. Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 26, p. 13)