The Centre of Viking-Age studies (ViS) and the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo, are pleased to announce that the international ViS-conference 2018 will take place in Oslo 12 -14 December 2018. The goal of the conference is to stimulate debate and reflection, and to present the current state of research on violence, conflict and warfare in the Viking Age.
Violence, warfare and warrior ideology are seen as vital components in understanding Viking society, and the many facets of a warrior society appear through landscapes, material culture, religion, poetry, and in traces of ritualised actions and gendered practices. Warfare also present ambiguities: Weapons were instruments for terror and murder, but they also formed the basis for identity and self-esteem. The brutal realities of violence stands in contrast to the idealized images of warriors met with admiration and honour. Violence and warfare are linked to aggression and power, but intrinsically also bound to fear, bereavement and loss. Conflicts and warfare are based on drawing of thresholds for inclusion and exclusion, and even though warfare is fracturing and destructive, it can also create cohesion, social change and new political conditions. As scholars we regularly encounter the public perception of the violent Viking, calling also for reflection on the ways in which Viking violence and wars feed back into public dissemination and the present Viking fascination.
Registration
Deadline for registration to the conference was November 16, 2018.
Final program
Find the final program here
Abstract booklet
Find the abstract booklet here
Practical information
The conference fee is 200 NOK, and includes lunch and refreshments at the conference. A pizza-night will be arranged on the 12 December (70 NOK/person), and conference dinner will be arranged on 13 December (500 NOK/person). To proceed to registration and payment, please follow this link. Information on allergies and/or dietary requirements can be sent to m.a.ostmo@khm.uio.no.
A map for the conference venue may be found here
A map of the venues for the pizza-night and conference dinner in the city centre may be found here
Participants at the conference must arrange their own travel and accommodation.
Hosts
The conference is hosted by Centre for Viking-Age Studies (ViS) at the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo, in cooperation with Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo.