The Performing Magic in the pre-Modern North Conference series is holding a call for papers for our 7th conference in November this year.

The conference is free to attend and entirely online on 12-13 November 2026.

Building upon the success of our previous conferences, which have explored a wide range of perspectives on magic in the pre-modern North, this year’s conference will be open-themed. We welcome papers that engage with any aspect of magical belief, practice, representation, or experience in the pre-modern Nordic and North Atlantic worlds. Particular attention may eb given to magic as something lived, practiced, performed, transmitted, or contested within specific social, cultural, and historical contexts.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
– Magical practitioners and specialists, including cunning folk, healers, seeresses, clerics, and ritual experts
– Domestic, agricultural, and communal magical practices
– Spoken, written, or performed magic, including spells, charms, songs, and incantations
– Material culture and magic, including objects, amulets, texts, and ritual tools
– The transmission, adaptation, and reinterpretation of magical knowledge over time
– Narratives, representations, and memories of magic in literary, legal, or historical sources

The language of the conference will be in English and the entire event will take place online to allow for accessibility. Papers should not exceed 20 minutes and will be followed by 10 minutes of discussion and the opportunity for questions.

We encourage students, early career, established, and independent scholars to participate. If you wish to present a paper, please email an abstract of 250-300 words alongside a short biography that includes pronouns, name, area of study and institutional affiliation (if relevant) to performingmagicinthenorth@gmail.com by 1 August 2026.