Appel à communication. Making and Remaking Saints in the Iberian Peninsula and Beyond during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period c. 600 – 1600 (Salmanca, 24-26 mars 2025)

IBERSAINTS: Making and Remaking Saints in the Iberian Peninsula and Beyond during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period c. 600 – 1600 // IBERSANTOS: Crear y Recrear los Santos en la Península Ibérica y Atrás durante la Edad Media y El Periodo Moderno Temprano c. 600 – 1600.

CALL FOR PAPERS AND POSTERS
24 – 26 March 2025
Sala de Grados – Faculty of Geography and History, University of Salamanca
Museum of Salamanca

We kindly invite paper and poster proposals for an in-person international conference hosted by the University of Salamanca in collaboration with the Museum of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.

This international conference seeks to explore the means of constructing and reconstructing saints in and beyond the Iberian Peninsula with particular emphasis on:
– the import of new saints into the Iberian Peninsula from the Holy Land, neighboring territories, occupied territories, etc.;
– the export of saints from the Iberian Peninsula to Europe, Latin America, etc.;
– the re/creation of saints in the Iberian Peninsula e.g. martyrdom narratives;

The conference approaches this process of saintly re/construction mostly, but not exclusively, from the perspective of:

TRANSITION AND TRANSFER
– known or lesser-known saints transferred and adapted in geographic areas which require further exploration such as Latin America in the Early Modern Period contributing to a global perspective on the creation and recreation of saints;
– Saints at crossroads of land and sea and patterns of transfer: between the Mediterranean, the Atlantic Ocean, etc.;
– cultural transfer and material culture of sanctity;
– transitional periods and saints from the Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages; the Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period;

INTERACTION
– adaptation to new cultural contexts and new peoples through religious discourses, hagiographic narratives, and de/construction of images;
– Local/regional incorporations, interactions, and adaptations;
– Interactions with images, transfer(s) and circulation(s) of iconographies;
– Local/regional, personal/collective devotional developments and practices;

PRODUCTION
– Re/creation of saints and various media (statues, reliefs, panel paintings, manuscript illuminations, frescoes, stained glass, metalwork, mosaics, textiles, etc.);
– Re/creation of saints in relation architecture;
– Production of (vernacular) religious/secular literature: sermons, hymns, (private/public) devotional prayers, miracle stories, visions, and conversion stories;
– Relics, reliquaries, miracle-working images, devotional/religious objects;
We welcome original submissions, from a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to: history, art history, visual culture, social history, cultural history, hagiography, religious studies, textual studies, archaeology, in a transdisciplinary perspective. Panel proposals are also welcome.

The paper presentations are addressed to early career researchers, faculty or research staff at any level, independent researchers, etc.; while the poster presentations are primarily addressed to PhD candidates particularly from, but not limited to, Spain. Certificates of 30 horas presenciales will be provided to PhDs.

Accommodation, meals, and travel are covered by participants. There is not registration fee and participation is open to all speakers.

Contextually, the participants will be invited to submit their papers and poster contents for the publication of an edited volume. The language of publication is English.

Please submit all relevant documents as PDF files and/or Word.doc to the e-mail address: znorovszkyandrea@usal.es no later than 30 September, 2024.

For paper presentations (Sala de Grados, Faculty of Geography and History, University of Salamanca):
– A 350 – 400 words abstract, in English, clearly underlying the main argument and the potential outcomes of the paper. The abstract should also include a bibliographic list of 5 – 8 references.
– A short 500 – 700 words CV, in English, including e-mail, current affiliation, affiliation address, academic position, publications, etc. CVs should have the standard CV format; narrative bio formats are not accepted.
– The presentations are 15-20 minutes and the language of delivery is English.

For poster presentations (Museum of Salamanca):
– A 350 – 400 words abstract, in Spanish, clearly underlying the main argument and the potential outcomes of the research. The abstract should also include a bibliographic list of 5 – 8 references.
– A short 500 – 700 words CV, in Spanish, including e-mail, current affiliation, affiliation address, awards, prizes, etc. CVs should have the standard CV format; narrative bio formats are not accepted.
– The presentations are c. 5 minutes and the language of delivery is Spanish.

Important dates:
Abstracts submission deadline: 30 September 2024
Notification of acceptance: 31 October 2024
Conference: 24 – 26 March 2025

Contact information:
For any additional information, please contact Andrea-Bianka Znorovszky (znorovszkyandrea@usal.es) University of Salamanca, Salamanca.

Conference organizer:
Andrea-Bianka Znorovszky, University of Salamanca

Conference organizing committee:
Ainoa Castro Correa, University of Salamanca
Iñaki Martín Viso, University of Salamanca

Conference coordinator:
Alejandro Pombo Rial, University of Salamanca