Camps Jean-Baptiste et Wallenwein Kirsten
One of the most important international congresses dedicated to medieval studies, the International Medieval Congress (IMC), held every year in Leeds, brings together many researchers from Europe and around the world. A special thematic focus is chosen for each edition. In 2019, this thematic focus will be on “Materialities”. This theme is at the heart of the priority research focus of several research groups in textual scholarship, not least among them the IRIS Scripta “Histoire et pratiques de l’écrit” and the Sonderforschungsbereich 933 “Materiale Textkulturen” (Heidelberg). In order to strengthen scientific collaboration between PSL and the University of Heidelberg, particularly in the field of medieval studies, we propose to organize three joint sessions at the next IMC. These sessions will be an opportunity to present the work currently being carried out by researchers from Paris and Heidelberg, as well as to welcome some guests whose research will provide additional insights on topics addressed by Scripta or SFB 933.
For these three sessions, we have chosen an orientation combining materiality and series (Materiality in series). This orientation makes room for the study of medieval serial productions before the appearance of printing (session I: Serial Manuscript Production), as well as for research on series of texts in manuscripts and their links to possible processes of development of a literary canon or to artefacts related to the manuscript tradition (session II: Text Series in Manuscripts), or finally to works in the field of quantitative methods and digital humanities, allowing the analysis of large corpora (session III: Serial Analysis and Materiality).
Given the current interest in this topic and the potentially innovative nature of the planned interventions as well as their thematic coherence, we are also considering a subsequent publication of a selection of contributions, in the form of a journal issue, following a peer review process.