medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I'm sending an amended message with profuse apologies for
an unfortunate typing error in the first message; one of
our keynote speakers will be Professor Roberta Gilchrist of
the University of Reading.
CALL FOR PAPERS
Forthcoming conference:
Defining the holy: sacred space in medieval and early
modern Europe
(10th-12th April, 2003, University of Exeter)
Aim of the Conference:
This conference aims to bring together researchers from a
range of perspectives, to investigate the creation, use,
transformation or destruction of sacred space in a variety
of specific contexts across the medieval and early modern
periods. By tackling the issue thematically, rather than
chronologically, we wish to consider these broader
questions:
* how far was there continuity in concepts of sacred
space throughout this period?
* what can medieval scholars learn from the approach
taken by early modern scholars and vice versa?
Focuses for particular research might include amongst
others: the establishment and maintenance of shrines;
pilgrimage routes; the consecration and desecration of
sites; concepts of immunity and sanctuary; the role of
competition between the sacred and profane in the
definition of sacred space; and the role of ritual in
definitions of sacred space.
Background:
Since the publication of M. Eliade's The Sacred and the
profane: the nature of religion (1959) sociologists,
geographers, anthropologists and archaeologists have turned
to the concept of sacred space to explain the relationship
between individuals, communities, landscape, architecture
and religion. In recent years historians have also come to
employ these ideas in a variety of contexts, from ancient
Greece to medieval France to modern America, to investigate
the nature of religious activity, contestation and
negotiation. There has, however, been little collaboration
between scholars working on individual aspects of the
concept of sacred space.
The ways in which medieval and early modern people chose to
construct sacred space have attracted considerable interest
from scholars of both periods in recent years. The
landscape of medieval Europe was filled and defined by
access points to the holy: churches, chapels and
cathedrals; abbeys, priories and nunneries; shrines, wells
and crosses. These were all thresholds where, through
ritual and devotion, the sacred entered the profane world.
These sites varied in their distribution, density, natures,
intensity and influence. And within such sites there were
gradations of holiness: the church within the cemetery; the
chapel within the church; the altar within the chapel. Thus
the Christian crossed boundaries of holiness and moved
between different zones, or had their representative, the
priest or the monk, cross these boundaries on their behalf,
moving closer to the holy as the agent of God and man. In
this way sacred space defined religious experience, not
only in terms of geography, but also in terms of social
relations. Sacred space was fundamental not just to the
'economy of the sacred' but to the nature of human
relations. However this sacred landscape was reshaped over
time as their definition, delineation and significance
changed or was re-evaluated in the light of social,
political and religious upheavals. What one person viewed
as holy, might be considered superstitious nonsense, or
worse, by others.
Keynote speakers:
Dr Margaret Aston,
Dr Nora Berend
Dr Roberta Gilchrist
Dr John Goodall
Dr Diana Webb
Call for Papers:
The conference is open to scholars of both the entire
medieval and early modern periods, breaking down the
conventional chronological divisions. We welcome
contributions from scholars from all disciplines in these
periods: archaeology, art history, Byzantine studies,
Arabic studies, history, Jewish studies, legal history,
literature, music and religious studies. We hope that the
conference will include contributions based on all the
faiths (paganism, Islam and Judaism) in Europe during these
centuries, as well as Christianity.
For further information or to express preliminary
interest in the conference contact:
Sarah Hamilton ([log in to unmask]) or Andrew Spicer ([log in to unmask])
Department of History,
University of Exeter,
Amory Building,
Rennes Drive,
EXETER
EX4 4RJ
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--- End Forwarded Message ---
----------------------
Dr Sarah Hamilton
Department of History
School of Historical, Political and Sociological Studies
University of Exeter
Amory Building
Rennes Drive
EXETER
EX4 4RJ
Tel: (01392) 264286
Fax: (01392) 263305
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