SPACE IN MEDIEVAL FRANCE

SPACE IN MEDIEVAL FRANCE
6th Annual Symposium of the International Medieval Society, Paris
CALL FOR PAPERS

Dates: 24-26 June 2009, Location: Université de Paris - I (Sorbonne), France
Deadline for Submissions: 1 February 2009
Keynote speakers: Dominique Iogna-Prat, Philippe Plagnieux, and Philippe Plagnieux

The International Medieval Society of Paris (IMS-Paris) is soliciting abstracts for
individual papers and proposals for complete sessions for its 2009 Symposium
organized around the theme of space in medieval France.

Questions about ideas of space have recently invigorated the field of medieval
studies, challenging prevailing Modernist views that the concept of space only
existed from the Renaissance onward. The Sorbonne's collection Constructions de
l'espace au Moyen Age: pratiques et représentations (2007) showcases recent
historical research on spatiality, particularly regarding geographical limits
and boundaries, as well as the role of space in social relations and practices,
while Sarah Kay's Place of Thought (2007) re-evaluates the complexity of the
locus communis from a literary perspective. These publications
complement ongoing investigations by historians of visual culture into the
dynamic meanings, uses and phenomenologies of medieval space.

This symposium aims to generate an interdisciplinary forum on space in
medieval France between c. 500 and c. 1500 that will enrich these ongoing
debates and our knowledge of space in the Middle Ages by approaching the subject
from a variety of perspectives. Papers should address France, Francia or post-
Roman Gaul in some way, but they need not be exclusively limited to this
geographic area.


We encourage papers on the following topics, as well as papers for open sessions
in all disciplines:
• Public and private space
• Walls, boundaries, limits
• The shape of space in medieval art, architecture, and music
• Space or place?
• Astronomy
• Sacred and profane space
• Commercial space
• Performance and the use of space
• Space and identity in the medieval city

Abstracts in French or English of 300 words or less for a 20-minute paper should
be e-mailed to contact@ims-paris.org no later than 1 February 2009. In addition to
the abstract, please submit full contact information, a CV and a tentative
assessment of any audiovisual equipment required for your presentation.

The deadline for abstract submission is 1 February 2009. The IMS will review
submissions and respond via e-mail by 15 February 2009. Titles of accepted papers
will be made available on the IMS website. Authors of accepted papers will be
responsible for their own travel costs and conference registration fee (35 euros,
reduced for students).

The IMS-Paris is an interdisciplinary and bilingual (French/English) organization
founded to serve as a centre for medievalists who research, work, study, or
travel to France. For more information about the IMS and the schedule of last
year's Symposium, please see our website: www.ims-paris.org.