L'Agenda des Médiévistes

Venue: University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland

Call for Papers

While much has been published on relics, their understanding remains restricted and inflexible because of the prevalent definitions of the religious relic. Julia Smith has emphasized how our main concept and its different sub-categories are a creation of modern ways of thinking (by canon law and theology) to classify religious items, when medieval theology and thinking were in fact much more flexible. Encyclopedias, dictionaries but also single studies define the term “relic” primarily as bodily remains of saints and martyrs, and secondarily to objects that are directly associated with the life of Christ (the Cross, for instance) or of a saint, or again, objects which have touched the saint’s body. In other words, relics are seen to belong in two categories, “primary” and “secondary”, primary being “bodily relics” and secondary “contact relics”. Such terms of the categories explicitly and/or implicitly evaluate the items when for example early Christian authors such as Augustine did not differentiate in value objects and other materials in contact with living or dead saints, or their tombs from bodily relics. Thus, definitions in current scholarly use did not easily lend themselves to late medieval realities and ignored an important – even if hard to define – aspect of lay practices concerning relics. Consequently, reading late medieval sources and studying 14th-15th c. objects in the light of modern categorization and its restrictiveness at a practical level hinders or even prevents us from understanding what late medieval people regarded as relics.

Problems about the traditional categorizations of relics have also been acknowledged, but not much has been done yet. Especially objects which have been excluded from the established definitions, such as unofficial relics or objects which represent ‘the third or fourth generation’ of contact with the saint, are largely ignored in scholarship. An exception to the rule is a reliquary, acquiring the status of new-relic by contact with the relic it houses, the role of which was established in scholarship by Legner in 1995. In art history, other devotional objects that defy accepted conventions of classification, such as shrouds or imprints, have been taken into consideration only very recently. The current discussion of medieval materiality has already been augmented by the classic theory of agency by Gell in 1998, which has now been applied to the agency of the holy matter, especially by Bynum in 2011 and 2020. The ‘material turn’ has enriched research into medieval and early modern devotional objects, including emphasizing the role of texts in understanding the tangibility of the physical them, but the whole gamut of devotional materiality in late medieval contexts still awaits reconsideration, borrowing notions and methodologies used in the field of anthropology and religious sciences.

The workshop invites presentations exploring the relationship between bones and relics, as well as other material objects perceived to possess supernatural powers; how people engaged with (sacred) materiality in their everyday lives and what kind of significances they gave for these entities. We warmly encourage proposals from various academic fields to be able to offer a diverse and multidisciplinary program. Please submit your proposal by March 1, 2025 to the organizers (see below). The proposal should include a provisional title, a 200–300-word abstract, 5 keywords, the presenter’s name (or names if there are several contributors), title, and affiliation. The organizers will notify participants about the acceptance of their proposals by the end of March. Kindly note that we intend to publish the presentations as peer-reviewed articles in a journal special issue or a similar publication. The details regarding publication will be discussed further with the participants during the workshop.

Key-note lecture:

The key-note presentation of the workshop will be given by Professor Vincent Debiais (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris: http://crh.ehess.fr/index.php?6059)

“See-trough. Relics, Materiality, and the Dynamics of Deception”

In the devotion to relics, seeing or not seeing defines the whole faithful’s attitude. Entering the sanctuary, standing in front of the reliquary, the sight and expectation are whether fulfilled or deceived. The devices – object or building – used for the presentation of relics dating from the end of the Middle Ages seem to have built on this tension between the need to look and touch the saints’ bodily remains and the impossibility to fully grasp on the subject of devotional actions, using transparency, concealment, or distraction as enhancers for the spiritual possession of relics. This lecture presents an overview of the material, sensorial, and theological questions raised by these objects, focusing primarily on reliquaries that used glass and writing to showcase the virtus of the saints.

Organizers:

Organizers, and more information: Docent Marika Räsänen (marika.rasanen@utu.fi) & Professor Päivi Salmesvuori (paivi.salmesvuori@abo.fi), Turku Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies & Department of Church History, Åbo Akademi University

Sponsors: The project “Rethinking the Late Medieval Relic (c. 1200–1550)”, the Research Council of Finland, University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University, and The Polin Institute.

Source : University of Turku

Dès les années 1940, les travaux pionniers de Phaidon Koukoulès sur la vie quotidienne à Byzance ont ouvert la voie à un foisonnement d’études prenant l’intime et le privé comme objets d’histoire. Depuis, le nombre et la diversité des recherches n’ont fait que croître : des contributions d’Évelyne Patlagean sur l’enfance à celles de Martin Hinterberger sur les émotions, en passant par l’exposition Byzantine Hours, Works and Days. Everyday Life in Byzantium (Athènes – Thessalonique – Mistra, 2002), les études byzantines se sont emparées de sujets aussi variés que les contours de la sensibilité, le rapport au corps et l’archéologie du quotidien. 

Prenant acte de cet élan, les XVIe Rencontres internationales des jeunes byzantinistes mettent à l’honneur la notion d’intime en scrutant la culture byzantine au prisme de « ce qui est le plus intérieur ». Incarnant « le plus essentiel en même temps que le plus retiré et secret », l’intime est aussi « ce qui associe le plus profondément à l’Autre et porte au partage avec lui » ; il s’y reflète d’emblée une dialectique du “dedans” et du “dehors”, indissociable de l’émergence d’une idée de soi [1]. Cette frontière subtile s’exprime à tous les niveaux et dans toutes les dimensions de la vie sociale, des méandres de l’espace urbain aux pièces de la demeure, et jusqu’à la diplomatie des regards et des secrets. 

Le sens de l’intime se fonde sur la conscience de soi. Que ce soit par le biais du soin, de l’hygiène, de la médecine ou de la parure, c’est d’abord par le corps que le sujet se confronte à l’altérité. Il s’agit dès lors de cerner les soins dont l’enveloppe charnelle fait l’objet dans le monde byzantin, en précisant les pratiques et les discours qui la construisent et l’accompagnent. Le souci du corps n’exclut pas celui de l’âme, bien au contraire. L’introspection encouragée par les Pères de l’Église imprègne toute la société et prend, à Byzance, une envergure particulière : toutes sociales que puissent être ses manifestations extérieures, la foi est également matière intime. Nourrie d’une relation intérieure et sensible au divin, la dévotion privée se tient au cœur de l’expérience quotidienne des fidèles. 

Là où les textes sont souvent muets, l’étude des lieux et des objets de l’intimité apporte un éclairage précieux. L’analyse des restes humains dévoile une histoire secrète de l’alimentation, des blessures et des mobilités. Au cœur des habitations, la distinction entre les espaces ouverts aux visiteurs et ceux réservés à la maisonnée dessine tout un univers de pratiques sociales. Les vestiges d’établissements balnéaires, les objets de toilette, les outils du médecin donnent corps au soin de soi ; comme en un miroir, amulettes et icônes domestiques constituent les supports d’une autre intimité,  spirituelle celle-ci : celle du fidèle avec Dieu. En-dehors du texte lui-même, les notes marginales témoignent du rapport familier du lecteur à l’œuvre. 

L’amour et l’amitié transposent l’intime à l’échelle des relations sociales. Mais quel rôle peuvent-ils endosser dans une société hiérarchisée, où intérêts politiques et économiques sont inséparables des stratégies matrimoniales et des relations de patronage ? Maîtres et serviteurs, époux et concubins, parents et enfants charnels ou spirituels : la famille concentre les relations de proximité en même temps qu’elle met en jeu les normes de comportement, entre solidarité et rivalité. Prolongeant la maisonnée, les relations d’amitié se situent au croisement de l’intime et de l’intérêt : elles interrogent le rôle des sociabilités informelles dans les réseaux de pouvoir. Il n’est pourtant jusqu’à la mort qui ne parvienne à trancher ces liens, dont les pratiques funéraires trahissent la ténacité : le soin de l’autre s’exprime encore dans la mémoire de son nom, à laquelle s’adaptent, peu à peu, liturgies et lieux de culte. 

Les déclarations d’intimité, omniprésentes dans les lettres byzantines, éclairent la puissance d’une rhétorique de la proximité. Celle-ci souligne l’importance de modèles culturels de l’intimité qui, de la Vierge à l’Enfant aux compagnons d’Achille, modèlent l’expression de la familiarité et de l’affection. Quels sont alors les discours admis de l’émotion, quel est le partage des affects publics et privés ? 

Qu’il s’agisse du regard sur soi ou du regard de l’autre, l’intime est constamment modelé par le travail des apparences et les exigences de la norme. Émotions et sexualité reflètent une dialectique du licite et du honteux, de la dissimulation et de l’exhibition. Genre et statut social autorisent certaines formes d’intimité et en interdisent d’autres ; ils déterminent ce qui peut être connu et ce qui doit rester caché. Se pose alors la question du scandale et des déviances intimes que ne saurait tolérer la société. 

À travers ce thème inépuisable, les XVIe Rencontres internationales des jeunes byzantinistes se donnent pour ambition d’approcher, avec tout le respect qui lui est dû, l’intimité de Byzance.

Les communications pourront s’inscrire dans l’une des thématiques suivantes, citées à titre non-exhaustif: 

• Rhétorique de l’intime et discours des émotions
• Sensibilité et socialisation (toucher, regard, ouïe, odorat, goût)
• Rapport au corps, soins du corps, hygiène et santé
• Apparences, pudeur, honte et exhibition
• Images de l’intimité 
• Espaces et lieux de l’intimité
• Œuvres, objets, outils intimes
• Amours et amitiés 
• Liens familiaux et cadre domestique 
• Intimité avec Dieu (dévotion privée, mystiques, ascètes)
• Intimité et ritualité 
• Contrôle de l’intime, transgressions et scandales 
• Sphère publique et sphère privée 
• Écriture et intimité, manuscrits et autographes 

Les communications, d’une durée de vingt minutes, pourront être données en français ou en anglais. Les propositions de communications (250 à 300 mots), accompagnées d’une brève biographie incluant l’institution de rattachement, le niveau d’études actuel (master, doctorat, post-doctorat) et le sujet de recherche, devront être envoyées à l’adresse aemb.paris@gmail.com, au plus tard le 31 mars 2025. 

Les Rencontres se tiendront en présentiel, à Paris, les 3 et 4 octobre 2025. La prise en charge des frais de transports par l’AEMB est envisageable pour les candidats ne pouvant obtenir de financement de la part de leur institution d’origine. Les candidats retenus devront adhérer à l’AEMB. 

[1] Jullien, F., De l’intime. Loin du bruyant Amour, Paris, Grasset & Fasquelle, 2013, p. 2.

Source : Association des étudiants du monde byzantin

KU Leuven, 9–11 December 2025
XIVth Annual LECTIO Conference 2025

Leuven Institute for the Study of the Transmission of Texts, Ideas and Images in Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance

organizedby Mattia Mantovani and Raf Van Rooy

The LECTIO 2025 conference is dedicated to the representation of the human body, both in itself and in its relation to other animals, from antiquity to the present day. For centuries, the “fabric of the human body” was modeled on dissections of sheep, monkeys, and pigs until anatomists like Andreas Vesalius began to challenge this practice in the first half of the sixteenth century. Indeed, since antiquity, animals have served as visual and linguistic metaphors to help decipher the appearance and inner workings of the human body. Representations of the human body have continuously been shaped against the backdrop of the entire bestiary, a legacy still evident in modern medical discourse with such terms as “goose skin” and “cancer”.

The conference aims to explore aspects of the longstanding debate surrounding the visual representation of the human and animal body. For example, many early modern physicians expressed skepticism toward visual depictions, favoring direct experience and especially the senses of touch and taste. Across centuries, the advent of new technologies—particularly print, photography, video, and digital techniques—introduced novel possibilities for representing living body while raising fresh questions about their material and epistemic implications. The same applies to evolving representational techniques themselves: perspectival anatomical drawings are a case in point. Illustrators, physicians, patients, collectors, and practitioners engaged in sophisticated debates about whether to prioritize aesthetic considerations or “intelligibility,” truth-to-life or vividness, and how to balance these competing concerns.

Alongside visual representation, the conference also seeks to examine the use of words and metaphors in representing living human and animal bodies, as well as the interplay—or tension—between the media of language and imagery. It furthermore aims to trace the transmission of knowledge across linguistic traditions, focusing on issues of terminology and translation related to the human and animal body throughout history.

We invite submissions on any relevant topic in the history of medical sciences and health, broadly conceived, and encourage a wide range of disciplinary approaches, time periods, and geographical contexts, including contemporary practices. Possible topics include but are not limited to:

• the use of images, words, and metaphors to visualize and describe human and animal bodies in medicine, law, theology, literature, and culture across the ages;• the techniques and materials used in visualizing and describing human and animal bodies;

• the translation of medical knowledge in text and image, from the Greek-Arabic-Latin tradition to the present, including interactions with non-European traditions such as those of China;

• the descriptions, representations and classifications of animal species, from an intercultural and global perspective;

The visual and linguistic representation of the living body provides a unique lens through which to examine humans’ relationship with “the other,” across species and cultures. Gender differences are particularly relevant in this context, as the human body was historically equated with the adult male body in European medicine and art. This bias continues to pose challenges today, such as in drug testing, which often prioritizes male patients, resulting in treatments less suited to women’s bodies.

By focusing on representations of the body across history and into the present, the LECTIO 2025

Conference aims to bring together specialists from diverse disciplines, including medicine, intellectual history, history of science, linguistics, literary studies, philosophy, art history, book history, legal history, and religious studies. True to LECTIO’s interdisciplinary mission, this approach fosters cross-disciplinary dialogue, significantly enriching our understanding of visual and linguistic representations of the human and animal body from antiquity to the present day.

Confirmed Keynote Speaker

Sachiko Kusukawa (University of Cambridge)

Call for papers

We warmly invite scholars with relevant expertise to submit paper proposals for the 2025 LECTIO conference. Applicants can choose between two formats: talks (between thirty and forty minutes, Q&A included) and “flash presentations” (ten minutes) by means of posters or videos.

Please submit an abstract (250–300 words) by March 1, 2025, through the LECTIO website:

https://www.kuleuven.be/lectio/events/lectio-xiv-international-conference-representing-the-

For any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at lectioconference@kuleuven.be

Scientific & Organizing Committee

Tinne Claes (Vesalius Museum & Leuven Centre for Health Humanities)
Pieter d’Hoine (Institute of Philosophy & LECTIO’s Director)
Inge Fourneau (Vascular Surgery & Leuven Centre for Health Humanities)
Daria Kohler (LECTIO’s coordinator)
An Smets (KU Leuven Libraries Special Collections & LECTIO)
Violet Soen (Early Modern History & LECTIO)
Geert Vanpaemel (History of Science & LECTIO)

Source : KU Leuven – Lectio