|
Access to the monarch has recently emerged as an important theme in scholarship on early modern courts. In a society highly dependent on the authority of a single ruler, the ability to live or work in proximity to the monarch was a vital asset in the struggle for political power. Different forms of access corresponded to different levels of political influence and favour. The notion of access and its importance for the court’s power system have, not surprisingly, been intensively debated.
This colloquium, which is part of the ESF Research Networking Programme PALATIUM, aims to broaden the debate by moving towards a more expansive notion of the culture of access. By taking into account palace architecture, spatial arrangements, court ceremonial, material culture and the arts, this approach should result in a more nuanced and complete understanding of “access” in day-to-day court life. In this decidedly transdisciplinary perspective, the monarch’s accessibility is not merely interpreted as a set of ceremonial rules and conventions, but as a constant interplay of spaces, strategies, personalities and events. This should also illuminate the relationship between the notion of access and the architecture (in the broadest sense of the term) of court residences.
The deadline for submission of abstracts is 31 May 2012. For more information, please visit the PALATIUM site.
|
