With a distinctly interdisciplinary intention, the 2^nd ARDIT International Congress of Medievalists “Senses and sensuality in the Middle Ages” aims to give voice to innovative researches on multiple and corresponding fields, such as History, Philosophy, History of Art or Philology, among others. In this new researchers’ encounter we seek to open the door to the multiples insights and reflections about senses and sensuality in the Middle Ages, offering a wide range of aspects linked to the multiple narratives which this issue inspires: the ways of knowledge, sensory and spiritual pleasure, or artistic and literary forms which have captured the sensorial universe in the Middle Ages.

ll this was shewde by thre partes, that is to sey by bodyly syght, and by worde formyde in my vnderstondyng, and by goostcly syght. (Juliana de Norwich, Shewings, Long Version, 9, 29-30).

Argument

The rose’s red hue, its intoxicating scent and its thorns show us the many faces of this flower’s truth. Senses are the ways through which humans interact with the world and develop their life learning.

For its connection to pleasure and joy, senses have been dually interpreted as sources of sin and immorality yet also as paths of knowledge, since through them we can reach a universe of perceptions which encourage experimentation -and thus, relation- with our surroundings and with our inner self. Julian of Norwich, an English theologian and mystic, expressed with simplicity in the words cited above how she had knowledge of the divine: three types of visions connected to different senses.

In this new researchers’ encounter we seek to open the door to the multiples insights and reflections about senses and sensuality in the Middle Ages, offering a wide range of aspects linked to the multiple narratives which this issue inspires: the ways of knowledge, sensory and spiritual pleasure, or artistic and literary forms which have captured the sensorial universe in the Middle Ages.

With a distinctly interdisciplinary intention, the congress aims to give voice to innovative researches on multiple and corresponding fields, such as History, Philosophy, History of Art or Philology, among others. Our main objective with this call is to help build new spaces of creation and of transmission of knowledge, thus confronting the specialization and compartmentalization of expertises usually attributed to the academic world. The accepted papers will define the final sections in which the congress will be divided.

Organised by the Association of Interdisciplinary Research and Diffusion of Medieval Cultures (ARDIT), with the support of the Institute for Research in Medieval Cultures (IRCVM), the Master in Medieval Cultures from the University of Barcelona, the Catalan Philosophy Society (IEC) and the Milà and Fontanals Institution (CSIC), the 2nd ARDIT International Congress of Medievalists “Senses and sensuality in the Middle Ages” will be held in Barcelona the days 20th, 21th and 22nd of May 2015. In this new researchers’ encounter we seek to open the door to the multiples insights and reflections about senses and sensuality in the Middle Ages, offering a wide range of aspects linked to the multiple narratives which this issue inspires: the ways of knowledge, sensory and spiritual pleasure, or artistic and literary forms which have captured the sensorial universe in the Middle Ages.

Submission guidelines 

Proposals will be accepted until

November 15th 2014.

You can send your texts in a word or OpenDocument text format, to the address arditcongress2015@gmail.com. You will receive an acceptance/refusal answer from the Scientific Committee before November 30th. 

Abstracts extension: maximum 300 words.

Key words: maximum 5 concepts.

Languages accepted: The congress’ official languages are Catalan, Spanish and English. Likewise, we welcome proposals in French, Italian and Portuguese as well. Selected presentations in any Romance language should include an English presentation (*ppt) or a handout in English including a summary of the content. 

Personal details required:

· Name and surname.

· Institution.

· Title of the paper or poster.

· Contact details: email, phone number (optional).

Inscription price for participants: 25 euros (free of charge for ARDIT members). 

Lecture timing

Papers: 20 minutes

Posters: 5 minutes 

Calendar 2014-2015

• November 15: submission of proposals deadline.
• November 30: Resolution of the Scientific Committee.
• December 7: Lecturer confirmation deadline by sending an email to arditcongress2015@gmail.com.
• January 25: Deadline for registration as lecturer (paper or poster).
• December 1 - May 15: Deadline to submit documents related to the interventions shared by lecturers.
• December 1 - May 19: Deadline for registration as assistant with the corresponding certificate. 

Registration

Once announced the Scientific Committee resolution, we urge researchers whose proposals have been accepted to confirm their participation before December 7. It will be sufficient to send an email to arditcongress2015@gmail.com. Below we provide other data related with the registration. 

Fees and registration deadlines

There are two registration options:

- Participation: the registration fee for participants is 25 euros (free registration for Ardit members). The Registration deadline is January 25.

- Attendance: conference attendance is free. The deadline for registration is May 19 2015. 

Publication

One of the main aims of our meeting is to spread the scientific results of the congress, publishing a selection of the best contributions. We will propose two ways of publication, as we did in the past edition of the congress:

· Spaces of Knowledge: Four Dimensions of Medieval Thought (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, in press).

· SVMMA. Revista de Cultures Medievals, N. 3, spring 2014 (Institut de Recerca en Cultures Medievals - Universitat de Barcelona). [link to journal]  

Further related information

The definitive program, latest news, and other useful information will be available on the website:http://arditcongress.weebly.com. 

Scientific Committee

• Michel Adroher (Université de Perpignan-Via Domitia)
• Robert Archer (King’s College London)
• Ana Bejarano (Universitat de Barcelona)
• Blanca Garí (IRCVM-Universitat de Barcelona)
• Andreu Grau (IRCVM-Universitat de Barcelona)
• Carles Mancho (IRCVM-Universitat de Barcelona)
• Josep Monserrat (Universitat de Barcelona - Societat Catalana de Filosofia)
• Eric Palazzo (Université de Poitiers-CESCM-Institut Universitaire de France)
• Michela Pereira (Università degli Studi di Siena)
• Mercè Puig (IRCVM-Universitat de Barcelona)
• Rosa Rius (Universitat de Barcelona)
• Roser Salicrú (Institut Milà i Fontanals-CSIC)
• Marta Sancho (IRCVM-Universitat de Barcelona)
• Meritxell Simó (IRCVM-Universitat de Barcelona)
• Lourdes Soriano (IRCVM-Universitat de Barcelona)
• Teresa Vinyoles (IRCVM-Universitat de Barcelona) 

You can find more information at our website,http://arditcongress.weebly.com, or contact us at arditcongress2015@gmail.com.