CALL FOR PAPERS: Villes/Cities, 12th Annual Symposium of the Inter- national Medieval Society, Paris (IMS-Paris), 25 – 27 June 2015.
The International Medieval Society, Paris (IMS-Paris) invites abstracts and session proposals for our 2015 symposium on the theme of Cities in Medieval France. Keynote Speakers: Emma Dillon (King’s College, London), Carol Symes (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), and Boris Bove (Université Paris VIII).
After the decline of late-antique cities in the course of the fifth and sixth centuries, a revival of cities began in the course of the eleventh century. This phenomenon, which profoundly transformed the dynamics of the West to our day, is a field of research that has been enriched in pace with archeological discoveries and by new technologies that offer original perspectives and approaches. This symposium will approach new lines of investigation that will deepen our knowledge of medieval cities (11th – 15th centuries) not only in their cartographic and monumental dimensions, but also political and cultural ones.
The question of the construction of urban space could be explored in a variety of ways:
* Through its material dimensions, consisting of different forms of cityscapes, its urbanism, and its architecture.
* Through uses of space and their performative function. For instance, the role of rituals and urban processions, how music and theater contribute to the establishment of urban space in its practical use and representations.
We also wish to explore urban culture, which consists of material, intellectual, or spiritual culture, including:
* The role of writing in the development of a literate, mercantile culture, and new modes of government
* The daily lives of city dwellers: their lifestyles and patterns of consumption, their culinary tastes, etc.
* The development of practices related to the rise of intellectual institutions (schools, universities, patronage, mendicants, etc.).
Finally, we wish to explore the question of visual representations of the city and in the city, notably:
* The ways in which cities were represented in the Middle Ages, and how medieval cities are represented now
* Models for cities and the role of imaginary cities in the construction of urban spaces.
Proposals should focus on France between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries, but do not need to be exclusively limited to this period and geographical area. We encourage proposals and papers from all areas of medieval studies, such as anthropology, archeology, history, economic and social history, art history, gender studies, literary studies, musicology, philosophy, etc.
Proposals of 300 words or less (in English or French) for a 20-minute paper should be e-mailed to communications.ims.paris@gmail.com. Each should be accompanied by full contact information, a CV, and a list of audiovisual equipment you require.
Deadline for Abstracts: 30 January 2015. The selection committee will notify applicants of its decision by e-mail by February 26th 2014.
Source: MAA Blog