Conference organized by Meredith College, SUNY Geneseo, and University of Portland. When Jorge Bergoglio became the first pope to choose the name Francis, it served as a reminder of Francis of Assisi’s profound effect on the world in the eight centuries since his death. During his lifetime, Francis challenged religious, social, and economic norms and helped reenergize a Church under assault. He founded the most popular religious order of the Middle Ages, and from the thirteenth century up to the present, Franciscans have attracted devotees from Assisi to Latin America and beyond. The program committee invites proposals for papers on any number of topics that consider the legacy of Francis and the Franciscans including: The history of the Franciscan order; The meaning and significance of Franciscan art in its medieval, Renaissance, Post-Reformation, and modern contexts; Francis’ legacy of interfaith dialogue and peacemaking; Female orders of Franciscan nuns, including the Poor Clares and Clarissan Nuns; Francis’ economic, social, and environmental views and their legacy; Franciscan spirituality, poverty, or the teaching of St. Francis to modern audiences. This conference is open to scholars from all academic disciplines, including history, art history, literature, English, theology, philosophy, Church history, and environmental studies. The conference will be held in Siena at the Siena School for the Liberal Arts. It will include keynote lectures by William Cook (Distinguished Teaching Professor of History, Emeritus, SUNY Geneseo) and Ron Herzman (Distinguished Teaching Professor of English, SUNY Geneseo). For more information, please click here.

Organizing committee:
Bradley R. Franco (University of Portland)
Weston Kennison (SUNY Geneseo)
Beth Mulvaney (Meredith College)
Mario Ascheri (Università Roma 3)