Call for Papers/Special Session Statement
34th International Congress on Medieval Studies
6-9 May 1999
"PARADOX, DILEMMA, ENIGMA: THE HERMENEUTICS
OF OBSCURITY IN THE MIDDLE AGES"
Presider: Karl F. Morrison (Rutgers University)
Organizers: Michael Crumbock (University of Chicago) and James Smith
(Loyola University)
The hermeneutics of obscurity played a pivotal role in directing
the shape
of intellectual culture in the Middle Ages. Inspired (though at different times
and in different ways) by the "pagan mysteries" of Late Antique Platonism, by
Jewish doctrines of divine transcendence, and by the Pauline theological
tradition, medieval authorities used rhetorical devices such as paradox,
dilemma
and enigma to influence those familiar with their work. Religious leaders found
these devices to be useful weapons with which to demolish the pretensions of
human reason, to foster dependence on the magisterium (teaching office of the
Church), and to fire the soul's desire for God. Philosophers, on the other
hand,
were capable of using paradox, dilemma and enigma as vehicles for stimulating
intellectual inquiry. Still other groups, such as artists and occultists,
turned to
the hermeneutics of obscurity because they allowed room for secrecy, surprise
and the inventive exercise of the imagination. Obscurity, in short, was a
complex
phenomenon, one that provided a fertile soil for the growth of various, and
often
contradictory, ideas.
With a few notable exceptions, such as the work of Karl Morrison, the
hermeneutics of obscurity have received insufficient attention from
medievalists.
The proposed session is an attempt to rectify this situation. Given the
nature of
its subject matter, such a session would be an ideal forum for examining the
connections between religion, philosophy, art, law and politics in the Middle
Ages. It would, moreover, permit scholars from diverse disciplines to assemble
on "neutral ground," using the gaps and lacunae of history to strengthen
medieval
studies today.
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We invite one-page abstracts for papers dealing with obscurity, broadly defined,
and related issues during the medieval period. Submissions must be received no
later than Friday, September 15th. Please address abstracts, c.v.'s and other
pertinent materials to:
Michael Crumbock
5343 S. Cornell, Apt.1
Chicago, IL 60615
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