We are pleased to announce a call for papers for our upcoming session at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the North American Patristics Society. The conference will take place on May 21–23, 2026 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago in person. Further details and submission link are below.
Cyprian of Carthage: Connections, Networks, Mobility, and the Making of Authority
This panel invites contributions that re-examine the oeuvre of Cyprian of Carthage by shifting focus from the thematic content of his writings to the networks they created, sustained, and transformed. Cyprian’s writings and letters in particular were not merely conveyors of theological ideas, but active instruments in forging alliances, constructing authority, and shaping the social imagination of early Christian communities.
Patrons, couriers, and intermediaries played crucial roles, while the very act of transmitting letters across vast distances—at considerable energy, expense, and risk—forged or maintained alliances. These exchanges, in turn, created temporal frameworks, geographies of belonging, and new forms of community identity.
We encourage papers that consider the role of both human and material conditions in the creation of these networks. Methodological engagement with approaches such as social network analysis or actor-network theory is particularly welcome.
Suggested questions include, but are not limited to:
- How were networks of correspondence used to secure and reinforce authority in Carthage and beyond?
- What role did patrons and intermediaries play in sustaining Cyprian’s influence?
- In what ways did the physical and material conditions of communication shape the reach of these networks?
- How did correspondence generate imagined geographies and temporalities within early Christian communities?
These perspectives illuminate the active entanglement of people, texts, routes, and materials, enabling us to explore Cyprian’s writings beyond their content but also as a strategic instrument in constructing networks of influence and authority.
To submit your title and abstract of 150-300 words for a 20-minute paper and 3-4 keywords, please follow the link to the official NAPS proposal submission form.
The deadline to submit proposals is November 19, 2025.
Notification of acceptance will be announced by December 15, 2025.
Please note, during the submission process, you will be asked for your name, email address, and NAPS Member ID number.