I spent yesterday at the Speculative Medievalisms workshop at King’s College, London. I’d left it late to reserve a place, not knowing if I could make it, and it was full. But fortunately a space opened up for me.

It really was good. Very interesting papers and some good questions. While much of the substantive focus was, of course, on the Middle Ages, the theoretical references were wide ranging – Foucault, Agamben, Esposito; Bataille, Deleuze and Guattari, Laruelle; Harman and Meillassoux. I particularly enjoyed Nick Srnicek’s talk on financial quantification. As ever there was not enough time for discussion, but I met some interesting people – Kathleen Biddick, Eileen Joy, Nick, and Antoine Bousquet among them.

The theoretical discussions were pretty impressive, and right up to the minute. Anyone who thinks medieval studies is stuck in the past hasn’t been paying attention.