Symposium Date: 30 June – 2 July 2005
Location: École nationale des chartes, Paris
Deadline for Submissions: 15 January 2005

“The ‘Court’ and its Patronage”

The International Medieval Society, Paris (IMS-Paris) is currently seeking abstracts for papers that address issues of the ‘court’ and its patronage in medieval France. In recent years, scholarship has tended to focus on social strata and cultural production outside of this demographic. These recent studies have shown that our knowledge of royal and princely courts and its activities merits reconsideration.

How are we to define the ‘court’ in the Middle Ages? Who exactly comprised it and how did this change over time? What have we learned about the different modes of aristocratic self-fashioning? How is the social structure of the privileged arranged, communicated, and reinforced? Is there any meeting point between art patronized by the ‘court’ and courtly literature? What do we know of patrons from the upper bourgeoisie, especially those linked to the ‘court’? What exterior circumstances affected artistic patronage? How do recent studies of artists, craftsmen, and workshops contribute to or complicate our understanding of their patrons?

An interdisciplinary examination of these subjects promises to revise our current assumptions about this socio-cultural field.

Special Session: Medieval Paris

The IMS-Paris is also seeking abstracts for its annual interdisciplinary session(s) on Medieval Paris. Papers may address any issue of medieval Paris and need not be linked to the principle theme of the Symposium. Rather, the IMS intends for these sessions to permit a comparative examination of the city to encourage future research. There will also be a visit to some of the surviving sites of medieval Paris.

Papers may be presented in either English or French. Submissions of three-paper panels will be considered as well. A limited number of papers may be considered for publication in the IMS Bulletin.

We strongly encourage submissions from a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to

• Anthropology
• Archaeology
• Art History
• Classical Studies
• Comparative Literature
• Gender Studies
• History
• History of Science
• Language Studies
• Literary Studies
• Musicology
• Philosophy
• Religious Studies
• Theology
• Urban Studies

  Abstracts of no more than 300 words for a 15-20 minute paper should be e-mailed to Meredith Cohen at the e-mail address given below.

  In addition to the abstract, please submit full contact information and a tentative assessment of any audiovisual equipment required for your presentation.

  The deadline for abstract submission is 15 January 2005. The IMS will review submissions and respond via e-mail by 4 February 2005. Titles of accepted papers will be made available on the IMS web site.

  The IMS-Paris is an interdisciplinary and bilingual (French/English) organization founded to serve as a center 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 (web address given below).