CFP: Commitments to Medieval Mystical Texts within Contemporary Contexts

Submission deadline: April 25, 2012

Conference date(s):
September 7, 2012 - September 8, 2012

Go to the conference's page

Conference Venue:

Institute for the Study of Spirituality, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Leuven, Belgium

Topic areas

Details

Why do we, as contemporary scholars within the field of Christian spirituality, privilege the reading of medieval mystical texts as a critical mainstay of our focus? How do we define  their  historical (dis)continuity with our contemporary contexts and their ability to uniquely address relevant issues for readers today? These  meta-questions on the meaningfulness of our  scholarship seek to encourage critical reflection on our distinct approaches to the medieval texts: historical, literary, theological  hermeneutical, and  interdisciplinary praxis-based approaches, as well as on our scholarly and personal relations to others (academy, Church and society) mediated by such texts. At the intersection of questions of meaningfulness mutually   interacting with our diverging methodologies, this conference aims to provide a fruitful, dialogical forum in which we may better encounter strengths and/or weaknesses of our own presumptions in reading these mystical texts.

This conference  will offer opportunities  to both senior and junior scholars whose work involves engaging with primary medieval mystical texts to give a short, 20 minute presentation, which will in turn be followed by a 10 minute moderated  discussion. There will be various topical sessions that envisage exchange amongst conversant perspectives. The working language is
English.

We kindly ask to those who are interested to send a proposed paper title with a brief abstract (200-400 words in English) to the contact address below by April 25 (Wed), 2012. Please note that, due to the limited size of the conference, there may be cases that we are unable to accommodate all proposed papers. In such a case, selection will be made based on abstracts.


Contact:

Satoshi Kikuchi [email protected] 

Catholic University of Leuven

Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies

Sint-Michielsstraat 4 box 3101

3000 Leuven, Belgium

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