L'Agenda des Médiévistes

We invite proposals for papers for the upcoming XV International Symposium on the Bohemian Reformation and Religious Practice, which will take place in June 2026 in Prague. The theme of this symposium is: “The Long Bohemian Reformation, European Universities, and Scholarly Disputations”

The Long Bohemian Reformation, European Universities, and Scholarly Disputations

From the 14th century onward, European universities increasingly became key players in ecclesiastical reform. Academically trained scholars participated in Church councils, shaped theological discourse, and often played central roles in reformist movements. The Bohemian Reformation was deeply embedded in this academic environment—including Jan Hus and Jerome of Prague and later generations within the Unity of the Brethren and the Comenian circle.

For many key figures of the Bohemian Reformation, academic disputation – and the broader tradition of learned argumentation – was central to their intellectual activity. Its influence extended not only beyond the university setting – as in the debates on the Four Articles of Prague at the Council of Basel – but also beyond the Bohemian Reformation itself, as exemplified by the Leipzig Disputation and the Marburg Colloquy.

The symposium aims to investigate the intersections between the Bohemian Reformation and academic institutions, encompassing also its subsequent receptions. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of scholarly disputations and intellectual traditions that contributed to the shaping of reformist thought.

The symposium’s broad scope accommodates both papers focused directly on the Bohemian Reformation as well as contributions in which the Bohemian Reformation forms one part of a larger mosaic.

Suggested topics include but are not limited to:
– Disputations concerning ecclesiastical, reformist, and religious issues related to the Long Bohemian Reformation
– Academic controversies, arguments, and rhetoric surrounding the Long Bohemian Reformation
– Underexplored or little-known textual sources of university and gymnasium origin related to the Long Bohemian Reformation
– Comparative analysis of surviving university and gymnasium manuscripts and prints related to the Long Bohemian Reformation with those from German, French, or British contexts
– Academic texts as sources for writings by reformist figures
– Negative stances toward universities and gymnasia in the writings of representatives of the Long Bohemian Reformation
– The role and manifestations of disputation in promoting reformist ideas within the Bohemian context
– Links of specific universities, academies, gymnasia, and gymnasia illustria to the Bohemian Long Reformation
– The impact of curriculum developments on the Bohemian Reformation (e.g. the influence of Melanchthon’s educational reforms via members of the Unity of the Brethren and Bohemian Protestants who studied in Wittenberg or Geneva)
– The significance of academic education among reformist figures
– Reception of the Bohemian Reformation at universities in the 19th and 20th centuries
– Links between the (Prague) university reform/reformers and other late medieval and early modern reform movements (e.g., monastic movements, lay reform).

Submission Guidelines:
Please send:
– Title and abstract (approximately 200–300 words)
– Institutional affiliation and contact details
to bohemian.reformation@gmail.com by 15 February 2026.
Applicants will be notified of the selection results by the end of February 2026.

Important Information:
Dates of the symposium: 18–19 June 2026
Location: Prague, Czech Republic; Academic Conference Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Husova 4a.
Languages: English, French
Fees: There is no fee for participation in the symposium.
Publication of contributions: A thematic volume based on the symposium is under consideration and depends on the submitted paper proposals. Selected speakers might be invited to submit articles for peer review.
Organisation: Department for the Study of Ancient and Medieval Thought, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Scientific board of the Symposium: Luigi Campi, Petra Mutlová, Petr Pavlas, Ota Pavlíček, Dan Török
Scientific board of the BRRP platform: Eva Doležalová, Michal Van Dussen, Kateřina Horníčková, Peter Morée, Petra Mutlová, Ota Pavlíček, Pavel Soukup, Vladimír Urbánek, Hana Vlhová-Wörner
For further information, please contact bohemian.reformation@gmail.com.

Kontakt

bohemian.reformation@gmail.com

Source : H-Soz-Kult

La section Testi, Tradizioni e Culture del Libro de la Scuola Superiore Meridionale de Naples (SSM), sous le patronage de l’Associazione Italiana dei Paleografi e Diplomatisti (AIPD), de la Consulta Universitaria dei Paleografi, Diplomatisti, Codicologi (CUPaDiC), du Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici de l’Università degli Studi di Napoli ‘Federico II’ et de l’Institut de recherche et d’histoire des textes (IRHT), organise deux journées de rencontre, lundi 4 et mardi 5 mai 2026, entre jeunes chercheurs internationaux qui se consacrent de diverses manières à des recherches sur les manuscrits et les documents de l’Antiquité au début de l’ère moderne, dans le but d’encourager les échanges au sein de la communauté scientifique, de faciliter la collaboration entre les chercheurs qui en font partie et de favoriser une meilleure coordination des recherches en cours. L’initiative, prioritairement mais non exclusivement destinée aux jeunes chercheurs actifs dans les domaines de la paléographie, de la codicologie et de la diplomatique, latines et grecques, prendra la forme d’un colloque international structuré en sessions thématiques.

Les travaux du congrès seront organisés en plusieurs sessions, chacune précédée d’une conférence inaugurale confiée aux membres du comité scientifique, assistés par des modérateurs de renom. Pour en garantir la plus large diffusion, le congrès se déroulera en mode hybride (présentiel et en ligne).  Une publication des actes est prévue.

Le caractère résolument transversal de cette rencontre, favorisant l’interaction entre chercheurs jeunes ou moins jeunes appartenant à différentes disciplines de l’étude des manuscrits et des documents, vise à offrir un lieu de dialogue et de débats scientifiques, ainsi qu’un réseau de contacts – non moins utile – pour la collaboration entre chercheurs. Toutes les personnes intéressées sont encouragées à soumettre leurs propositions de participation au congrès.

Dans l’histoire de l’écriture, il n’est pas rare de rencontrer des cas de collaboration entre écrivains. La présence de plusieurs mains à l’œuvre peut considérablement accélérer le travail de transcription d’un texte ou répondre à des besoins spécifiques. Les relations entre les copistes et le texte (et entre les copistes eux-mêmes) déterminent le produit final, qui se situe à chaque fois dans un spectre large et diversifié : par exemple, des ouvrages de luxe et très volumineux, nécessitant une organisation systématique du travail, jusqu’à des manuscrits plus modestes, assemblés par des groupes d’intellectuels et/ou simplement de leurs sodales.

D’un point de vue plus général, les écrivains – tant dans le domaine du livre que du documentaire – se sont toujours organisés en groupes de travail, sans nécessairement intervenir ensemble au sein d’un même objet. Les exemples vont des ateliers florentins du bas Moyen Âge – parmi lesquels se distinguent ceux des Danti del Cento et de Vespasiano da Bisticci – aux groupes “notariaux” cohésifs, entendus au sens large, chacun caractérisé par ses propres écritures et pratiques (par exemple, Coluccio Salutati et ses collaborateurs), ou encore aux cercles érudits qui, dans divers contextes, laissent des traces de leur activité dans les manuscrits grecs. Des formes de collaboration horizontale (copistes, notaires, enlumineurs travaillant sur un même projet) ou verticale (maîtres guidant le travail de leurs élèves) peuvent également être observées en dehors des cercles de professionnels de l’écriture: on peut penser aux relations entre membres d’une même famille, où les aînés s’investissent dans l’alphabétisation des plus jeunes ou, au contraire, où des écrivains de compétences diverses se retrouvent à travailler ensemble à la réalisation d’un témoignage écrit, comme c’est le cas pour les livres de famille.

En déplaçant le regard des choix des écrivains vers leurs produits, il est bien connu que différents types graphiques, codicologiques et documentaires peuvent en quelque manière se combiner ou s’hybrider. Il suffit de penser aux écritures distinctives de l’époque carolingienne, à la cohabitation entre texte et glose, souvent distincts même graphiquement, à l’articulation des majuscules, des rubriques et du texte, ainsi qu’aux particularités des colophons. D’autres pistes sont offertes par le mélange des cursives du XV^e siècle ; en ce qui concerne les contenants livresques, par les manuscrits au format “vacchetta” rédigés en mercantesca, qui accueillent uniquement des textes littéraires, et ainsi de suite. L’objectif de la deuxième édition de Manoscritti, Scritture e Scriventi est d’examiner ces relations, tant à l’intérieur qu’à l’extérieur de la page, dans les domaines documentaires comme livresques, selon les axes de recherche suivants :

• stratégies de gestion de la page et du fascicule en présence de plusieurs mains;
• stratégies de gestion de la page dans l’articulation de ses différents éléments;
• modalités de supervision du travail de copie (par ex. concepteur, chancelier, etc.);
• caractéristiques et organisation du travail de production documentaire ou livresque par des groupes spécifiques;
• hybridation de formes graphiques, codicologiques et documentaires différentes, ou dialogue entre plusieurs types dans un même objet.

Modalités d’adhésion

L’appel à contributions s’adresse aux jeunes chercheurs, doctorants et étudiants de master spécialisés dans les disciplines de la paléographie latine, de la paléographie grecque, de la codicologie et de la diplomatique. Conformément au thème choisi, les propositions d’interventions à deux voix sont particulièrement encouragées, afin d’enrichir le débat scientifique par des perspectives interdisciplinaires.

Pour participer, il est nécessaire d’envoyer un résumé (500 mots maximum), accompagné d’un titre et d’un bref profil biobibliographique (150 mots maximum), avant le 31 janvier 2026 à l’adresse manoscrittiscritturescriventi@gmail.com en indiquant comme objet du message “mss application”.

L’acceptation sera communiquée avant le 28 février 2026. La publication en volume des contributions ayant passé le processus d’évaluation par les pairs est prévue.

Le Comité organisateur

Federica De Biase, Vittoria Fotticchia, Daphne Grieco, Riccardo Montalto, Paola Rea, Paolo Claudio Russo

Source : IRHT

Der Workshop ist ein Forum für Wissenschaftler:innen verschiedener Disziplinen, auf dem Ansätze, Methoden und Zugänge zur Mobilitätsforschung diskutiert werden.

Formen der Mobilität sind seit langem ein vielbeachtetes Thema der Vormoderne-Forschung. Die thematischen Schwerpunkte und das methodische Instrumentarium einschlägiger Arbeiten haben sich naturgemäß im Laufe der Jahre gewandelt und spezialisiert. So wurden Boten, Diplomatinnen und Missionare, Kaufleute, Scholaren und Pilgerinnen als mobile Gruppen untersucht, Routen und Wegnetzwerke rekonstruiert, die Erfahrung, Beschreibung und Konstruktion von Fremdheit und Alterität analysiert, Aspekte von Körperlichkeit und Emotionalität erforscht, transkulturelle Kontakte und Austauschprozesse in den Blick genommen, Formen individueller oder auch kollektiver Migration analysiert sowie die narrative, rhetorische und poetische Repräsentation und Funktion von Mobilität in literarischen Texten untersucht – um nur wenige Themen und Ansätze zu nennen.

Der geplante Workshop soll ein Forum für Wissenschaftler:innen verschiedener Disziplinen sein, auf dem Ansätze, Methoden und Zugänge zur Mobilitätsforschung diskutiert werden. Dazu sollen laufende Projekte und Forschungsarbeiten vorgestellt werden, die sich mit Formen des Reisens, Pilgerns und Migrierens sowie des Erzählens darüber in Europa von ca. 500 bis ca. 1800 beschäftigen – der thematische Rahmen ist hier bewusst offengehalten.

Erbeten werden Vorschläge für Vorträge von 20 bis 25 Minuten, die das Forschungsvorhaben vorstellen und den jeweiligen Zugriff an Quellenbeispielen vorführen. Wenn Sie Interesse haben teilzunehmen, senden Sie bitte ein Abstract (ca. 400–600 Wörter) sowie eine kurze biographische Skizze in einer pdf-Datei bis zum 10. März 2026 an Christian Hoffarth (choffarth@histosem.uni-kiel.de) und Christoph Mauntel (cmauntel@uni-osnabrueck.de).

Die Reise- und Unterkunftskosten können voraussichtlich übernommen werden.

Für Fragen stehen die Organisatoren gerne zur Verfügung.

Kontakt

choffarth@histosem.uni-kiel.de
cmauntel@uni-osnabrueck.de

Source : H-Soz-Kult

For the 45^th issue (2027) of Cahiers d’études italiennes (Filigrana)

Guest editors

• Valérie Phelippeau-Guillain
• Élise Leclerc

Argument

We live in an era of scandals, and constantly, through social networks or traditional media, public figures use the denunciation of a scandal in order to remedy what common morality, or their own criteria of judgment, considers to be dysfunctions. Scandal is a provocation, a call for public outrage that can be used either as a political tool or as a method of publicly promoting ideas, works, or personalities. Scandal can thus be understood as a technique for manufacturing and/or mobilizing public opinion (BOUCHERON, OFFENSTADT, 2011). This link between social norms and the public sphere is at the heart of the issue of scandal. 

However, the origin of the concept of scandal, both in vocabulary and in social reality, is religious. It covers other realities than the “modern” scandal that gradually developed from the 16^th century onwards. Derived from medieval theological vocabulary (from the Greek skandalon, “stumbling block”) based on the occurrences of this word and its equivalents in the Bible (obstacle, trap, abomination, cry, etc.), scandal covers both the fault (active and objective scandal) that can cause others to stumble (passive scandal) and the public disturbance caused by knowledge of this fault (subjective and receptive scandal). Medieval scandal put faith to the test. This is why scandal was usually hushed up, or at least dealt with secretly by the Church, as we regularly see in sources dealing with cases of scandalous behavior by priests. When scandal appears as such in our sources, it can be used as a means of educating the masses: this is the case in sermons, for example. We can therefore distinguish between good scandal, used in the government of the Church, and bad scandal, which “spills over” and arouses indignation.

The various studies (see Indicative bibliography below) that use the concept seem to indicate a gradual shift towards a broader and undoubtedly less controlled form of scandal, a moral scandal that more spontaneously arouses emotions. However, when this form of scandal enters the public conversation, is it an illustration of a challenge to social norms that emerges, or, on the contrary, an effective instrument for consciously organizing the social body? Did the scandal of the late Middle Ages become scandalous? In any case, at the dawn of the 16^th century —a period marked by intense doctrinal debates, increasingly complex social hierarchies, and the growing importance of the public sphere— scandal could be seen as a privileged indicator of the tensions that structured Western societies. It lays bare the internal boundaries of a community, its implicit norms and hierarchies, by making visible tensions that usually remain latent.

This thematic issue therefore aims to examine both the polysemy and social functions of scandal in Italy in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance (1350-1530), combining approaches from history, literature, art history, political philosophy, and law. Contributions will focus primarily on Italian society, but contributions addressing cases of scandal related to Italy or Italian personalities are also welcome. The chosen period, at the turn of the modern era, corresponds to the moment when scandal emerged from the strict domain of the Church, inviting us to highlight the gradual shift in the primary meaning of the term – scandal as an example of sin or as a denunciation of sin – to a broader understanding of what constituted scandal within a social group and the reaction of scandalized communities.

The aim is to examine how scandal, both in its lived experience and in its representation, contributed to redefining collective norms, forms of authority, and processes of moral control. Scandal is not just a matter of individual transgression; it becomes a publicizing agent that brings a matter from a restricted circle into the “public domain” and reconfigures the reputation of individuals and institutions. We hope that this approach will contribute to highlight a proto-“public space of opinion” which, at that time, took various forms that are difficult for us to grasp, apart from the cases of crystallization created precisely by scandal.

Focus areas

The question of scandal can first be addressed in the legal and canonical context. In the absence of a clear definition of scandal in medieval legal thought (BIANCHI RIVA, 2022), what rituals or procedures were used to restore the disturbed moral order? In this way, we will attempt to shed light on how scandal fits into society’s thinking about itself at the end of the Middle Ages: fama, secrecy and truth of the prince’s actions, regulation of conflicts between the people and their elites, gender relations, etc. Scandal, analyzed sometimes as a symptom of crisis (referred to in legal sources as “cries”, “tumult”, “disorders”, or even “sedition” or “revolt”), and sometimes as a tool of protest, can shed light on possible transformations in regimes of legitimacy.

Thus, we can focus on the scandal provoked or mobilized by public life, broadly defined as a public form of indignation. Examples include notable crises or controversies such as the controversy between Lorenzo Valla and Poggio Bracciolini, extraordinary events (such as the assassination of Louis d’Orléans, brother of King Charles VI, in 1409, which was justified by its instigator, the Duke of Burgundy, by mobilizing the rhetoric of scandal and condemning the role of Valentine Visconti at the mad king’s side), or behaviors deemed particularly amoral because they were outside the norm (and here we think of the criticisms against Pope Alexander VI). In the analysis, particular attention may thus be paid to the mechanisms of fabrication and dissemination of scandal (rumors, flyers, chronicles, sermons, etc.). Who defines what is scandalous or the subject of scandal? How does a scandal “take hold”? For example, how is it that the suspicious death of Gian Galeazzo Sforza —which allowed Ludovico il Moro to become Duke of Milan— did not cause a major public scandal?

Another promising angle can be found in narratology and/or iconology, drawing on literary sources and representations depicting scandal: satire, invective, defamatory paintings, visual provocation in religious images (the obvious example of the representation of Hell comes to mind) … How does fiction contribute to establishing, amplifying, or, on the contrary, subverting moral and social norms by using scandalous provocation? How could the same motif, nudity for example, be considered moralizing or, on the contrary, scandalous? Moreover, are works of fiction, even provocative ones, really scandalous? Particular attention may be paid to practices of censorship, erasure, or symbolic appropriation. Gender relations, for example, can be questioned as a trope of the upsidedown world, with female figures turning away from or transcending their ordinary social roles. In this way, it is also by thinking about the controversy introduced by Christine de Pisan surrounding Jean de Meung’s Roman de la Rose, which shocked part of the literary world while earning her strong support (Deschamps, Gerson), that we can integrate literary quarrels into the vast field of scandal. Class relations may also be of interest when they are portrayed in fabliaux and short stories in a way that borders on scandal, with obscenity, anticlericalism, or satire of the nobility, but are protected by the fictional framework.

Submission guidelines

Proposals (maximum 2,500 characters) should be sent before March 15^th, 2026, accompanied by a short biographical note and an indicative bibliography to the following email addresses: valerie.phelippeau@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr elise.leclerc@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr

Selected contributions must be submitted by January 15th, 2027, for double-blind peer review. The special issue is scheduled for publication in September 2027. Accepted languages are French, Italian, and English; authors will give preference to their native language when writing their contributions. 

Source : Calenda