Call for Papers
Place and Space: Modifications and Adaptations of the Sacred in the Medieval and Early Modern Eras
8 June 2023 (Online Symposium)
Abstracts Due By 24 April 2023
The relationship between sacred practices and space in the medieval and early modern periods is intricate and varies from place to place in medieval communities. The use of charms, graffiti, personal pieces of artwork, and depositions of everyday materials customised and determined the use and behaviour within sacred spaces. This symposium seeks to explore how communities adapted different spaces for spiritual and religious purposes.
Suggested themes for papers include (but are not limited to):
Use of material culture in elite or non-elite domestic spaces
Engagement with the sacred through materiality in rural or urban settings
Use of visual culture in differing spaces
Changes or continuity in the significance of spatial contexts for spiritual practices
The materiality of belief in popular religion
Regionality of spatial engagement with sacred material culture
Interdisciplinary approaches combining written and material sources
The role of architecture in medieval spiritual phenomenology
This symposium will be held in an online format and is hosted by the University of Leicester and the University of Exeter. Papers should be kept to a 20 minute time limiti. Please submit abstracts of 250 words, and a short biography (and any questions) to Crystal Hollis at ch844@exeter.ac.uk or Abigail Ford at af356@le.ac.uk by April 24, 2023.
For a PDF of the Call for Papers, click here.