The Bates Classical and Medieval Studies (CMS) Department is hard at work inspiring students and faculty alike to learn more about the field.
In a series of guest lectures sprinkled throughout the semester, the department is showcasing current scholarship in the classical and medieval studies (CMS) and related fields by inviting professors from different institutions to present their research to students. These lectures also serve as an opportunity to build on the current class curriculum through a broader network of professors and their research.
The department has held multiple events this school-year, one that invited CMS Majors to talk about their excavation and study abroad experiences and another titled “Ancient and Medieval Tales of the Supernatural” for Halloween.
On Tuesday, Jan. 27, Éric Fournier, professor of history at West Chester University in Pennsylvania, spoke to students and faculty about his research on the Vandals and Mediterranean ecclesiastical politics in the late-fifth century C.E. The lecture took place in Pettengill Hall with light refreshments available to those attending.
“It was really a target of opportunity,” said Professor Mark Tizzoni, who said that Fournier was visiting for the decadal review of the history department.
When asked what the goal of these lectures was, Professor Sarah Lynch emphasized the advantages of introducing trailblazing scholarship and research to students.
“It allows us to expand what we’re saying to students, and its a chance for them to get to see something new and different,” Lynch said.
When asked about organizing the event, Lynch added that the CMS Department uses academic conferences to recruit people who would be good public speakers and connect well with undergraduates.
Fournier began his lecture by describing his particular focus on the Vandal Council of Carthage in 484 C.E. and his analysis on Victor of Vita’s text The History of the Persecution in the African Province. He examines the source as providing insight into, and contextualizing Huneric’s (a Vandal king) role in the Christological Controversy which was a theological debate about the nature and person of Jesus Christ.
His religious text focus serves to fill in the gaps of recent scholarship that he believes heavily focuses on politics. Fournier also sees the participation of Huneric and the Vandals in these late-fifth century religious debates as part of a broader Mediterranean ecclesiastical politics, one that connects to Zeno’s Henotikon.
In an interview with The Bates Student, Fournier shared some of his inspiration for his research. He described his work as a “reaction to recent scholarship,” and as interdisciplinary, noting his use of anthropology to understand religious texts.
Adding that he grew up in a religious academic setting where religion “was really pushed,” Fournier shared that by “extracting cultural and social value out of ecclesiastical texts” his own work is “pushing back” and making his historical niche richer.
