'Living the Law in the Early Medieval World: The Contribution of Canon Law to European Culture'

Leeds International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, 3-6 July 2017

At the 2017 Leeds International Medieval Congress, the 'Living the Law' network aims to organise one or several sessions, co-sponsored by Iuris canonici medii aevi consociatio (ICMAC) and the Church, Law and Society in the Middle Ages Network (CLASMA). We would like to open a call for proposals for 20-minute papers to be given at the conference, preferably in English; pre-organised three-paper sessions with a coherent theme will also be considered for sponsorship.

Proposals are welcome on any area or period of medieval canon law from Late Antiquity to the High Middle Ages. Scholars are especially invited to propose papers that explore the many ways in which the history of canon law sheds light on the cultural developments in western Europe after Antiquity. The papers may tackle research questions concerning the role of canon law in crucial developments that shaped western culture, such as christianisation, (ethnic) identity formation, political and patronage relationships between church and kings, appropriation of the biblical and antique past, communication across borders and cultures, the proliferation of literacy, and the production and dissemination of manuscripts. As the theme for the 2017 Leeds Congress is ‘Otherness’, proposals will also be welcome for papers concerned with the idea of canon law and ‘othering’ in any of its incarnations. 

Prospective participants are requested to send a title and short abstract (no more than 200 words, but long enough to give a good sense of the proposed topic), along with contact details, to Sven Meeder (s.meeder@let.ru.nl) before 4 September 2016.