Fake News and Gossip in Byzantine Culture

The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

2nd-4th April 2027

Fake news and gossip seem to dominate our present life. The former dominates politics, the latter everyday activities. The importance of global issues regarding war, pandemics, famine and climate change cannot possibly de-throne ‘juicy’ news about famous people. Taking sentences out of context and dissecting words seem to attract more attention than the overarching ‘bigger picture’. Considering that the Byzantine Empire is one of longest lasting in human history, the Symposium seeks to explore how similar aspects were manifest within that culture. Have, indeed, fake news and gossip dominated socio-political interaction for millennia rather than characterise post-modern life with the generous facilitation of internet and social media? The longevity of Byzantine Empire provides a perfect stage to address this question. A selection of invited multi-disciplinary papers will look closely at history and historiography, religion, art history and socio-political manifestations.