De Communi Bono, pro publica utilitate, for the common good, pour l'intérêt de la chose publique..... the notion of collective interest, borrowing its wording from Roman law, common law or simply from local linguistic customs, occurs reperatedly in certain sources and in certain spaces in late medieval Western Europe.

De Communi Bono, pro publica utilitate, for the common good, pour l'intérêt de la chose publique.....

the notion of collective interest, borrowing its wording from Roman law, common law or simply from local linguistic customs, occurs reperatedly in certain sources and in certain spaces in late medieval Western Europe.

The frenquent recurrence of this often imprecise phrase has led to a desire to crutinize this notion in tis geographical, chronological politcal and cultural contexts. To be sure, whereas the notion is widely used, it is the epression of very different intentions sustained by a more or less firm and a more or less aincient historical and political consciousness.

Traditionally confined to the sphere of the State and of auctoritas, the phrase the "Common Good" is set to conquer the cities in the late Middle Ages and at the beginnign of the Early Modern period. But how can we compare a kingdom like France where the cities defend their "Common Godd" by making reference to the interest and benefit of the Kingdom with principalities like Flanders where, despite their fierce desire for autonomy, the cities use the notion with much greater reservation than their Italian counterparts ?

The "Common Good" of one group is not that of the others. But the idea of the "Common Godd" refers to a degree of political maturity that we want to evaluate by tracing the intellectual and theoretical roots that have led to the emergence of this notion in the urban world and by analysing the practical forms of its manifestations.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15

9h30 : Welcome and coffee

10h00 :Introduction by MArc BOONE

--> Session 1 : The Common Godd in the Urban World between Theory and REpresentation chaired by Jean-Pierre SOSSON

10h30 : GIACOMO TODESCHINI, "Participer au Bien Commun. La notion franciscaine d'appartenance à la civitas".

11h00 : SABRINA CORBELLINI, "Striving for the "Common Good" and the education of the citizens : evidence from Italy and the Low Countries (13th-14th c.)"

11h30 : CLAIRE BILLEN, "Dire le Bien Commun dans l'espace public. Textes gravés et textes éphémères sur les édifices de la ville dans les Pays Bas méridionaux au bas MOyen Age".

12h00 : WIM BLOCKMANS et ROBERT STEIN, "Whose Community ? The origin and development of the concept of Bonum Commune in Flanders, Brabant, Holland and Utrecht (11th-14th c.).

12h30 : Discussion

13h00 : Lunch

--> Session II : In the Name of the Common a "jeu de mots ?" chaired by Erik Aerts.

14h30 : JAN DUMOLYN et ELODIE LECUPPRE-DESJARDINS, "Le Buen COmmun en Flandre Médiévale : la lutte discursive entre princes et sujets".

15h00 : PATRICE BOUCHERON, "Politisation et dépolisation d'un lieu commun. Remarques sur la notion de Bien Commun dans les villes d'Italie centro septentrionales entre commune et seigneurie.".

15h30 : GISELA NAEGLE, "Armes à double tranchant ? Bien Commun et chose publique dans les villes françaises au Moyen Age.

16h00 Coffee break

16h15 ANNE-LAURE VAN BRUAENE, " A Virgin for all causes ? The Virgin of Ghent as communal sympbol in late medieval and eraly modern Ghent".

16h45 : Discussion.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 16

--> Session III : Governing the City in the Name of the Common Good chaired by HILDE DE RIDDER-SYMOENS

9h30 : EBERHARD ISENMANN, "The notion of COmmon Good (Gemeiner Nutzen), the concept of politics (Pollicey) and practical policies in late medieval and early modern German cities"

10h00 : PIERRE MONNET, "Bien Commun et bon gouvernement : le traité politique de Johann von Soest sur la manière de bien diriger une ville (1495)"

10h30 : coffee break

10h45 : WALTER PREVENIER, "Utilitas communis in the Low countries (13th - 15th c.) from social mobilisation to legitimation of power.".
11h15 : ARJAN VAN DIXHOORN, "Discussin and negotiating the Common Good in early modern Antwerp (ca.1580 - 1620)"

11h45 : Discussion

12h15 : Lunch.

--> Session IV : The Urban Practice of the Common Good chaired by Peter STABEL

13h30 : ALBERT RIGAUDIERE, " De la fiscalité pour le BIen Commun au financement des biens communs dans les villes du Midi français (XIIIe-XVe s.).

14h000 : ANDREA ZORZI, "Bien Commun" et conflits politiques dans l'Italie communale".

14h30 : GERVASE ROSSER, "For whose good ? Vows and actions in the English medieval guilds".

15h00 : Coffee break

15h15 : MAARTEN PRAK, "The Common Good and the city in early modern Holland".
15h45 : Discussion

16h15 : Concluding remarks by Elodie LECUPPRE-DESJARDIN et Anne-LAure VAN BRUAENE.

The colloquium will take place in the University Centre Het Pand (Onderbergen 1).

Participants are advised to make hotel reservations in a timely fashin. For more information please contact Diens Toerisme (Infokantoor Belfort), Botermarkt 17A, B-9000 GENT, tel. + 32(0)9 266 52 32 http://www.visitgent.be

Participants are requested to submit the registration form before Septembre 1 either by mail or by email to :

Dr. Elodie Lecuppre-Desjardin, Université de Lille III Charles de Gaulle, BP 149, F-59653 Villeneuve d'Ascq cedex elodie.lecuppre (at) univ-lille3.fr

Dr. Anne-Laure Van Bruaene, Universiteit Gent, Blandijnberg 2, B 9000 Gent. annelaure.vanbruaene (at) ugent.be

Contact and information :
elodie.lecuppre (at) univ-lille3.fr

annelaure.vanbruaene (at) ugent.be

http://www.ulb.ac.be/philo/urbs