The Organizing Committee of the Conference gathered a list of over 200 titles, half of them being a broad selection of the best studies published on Medievalism and the other half being a selection of books dedicated to medievalist creation, showing the reception of the Middle Ages from Early Modern to Modern times; from the worldwide known Umberto Eco’s Name of the Rose to some less expected contemporary representations of the Middle Ages, such as the comic A Batalha, from one of our special guests, the Portuguese illustrator Pedro Massano.
Both sections will hopefully provide some guidance not only to young researchers who aim at starting their own inquiry into Medievalism – or to consolidated scholars interested in knowing the latest contributions in this field of study – but also to anyone interested in reading on Middle Ages, as Umberto Eco would say.
It is important to mention that the list of titles we have gathered is the result of a project developed by the members of our organizing and scientific committees as well as our keynote speakers. We all participated in creating a rich and plural selection that includes different disciplines such as History, Literature and Art History.
In addition, some of our collaborators, as a very generous gesture, have recorded a number of interesting videos where they briefly explain their own top 10 suggestions on Medievalism and/or Medievalist fiction. You can find them at our webpage and social media in case you need some extra guidance on which books to purchase.
Also, thanks to the collaboration of a broad selection of academic and non-academic publishing houses, we are able to offer you the opportunity to purchase some of the books selected with special discounts.
Reserve some time during the conference and take a virtual walk around the fair, available at our website intranet!
Ivan Vilela is professor at the Faculty of Music and Postgraduate Program at the School of Communications and Arts, São Paulo University, in the field of musicology and ethnomusicology. His articles and researches are focused on the study of popular cultures and popular music. He also acts as a composer, arranger and instrumentalist. He maintains intense artistic-musical and didactic activity in Brazil and abroad. With his musical works he was nominated to several awards like APCA (Paulista Association of Art Critics), Sharp, Movimento, IBAC (Brazilian Institute of Art and Culture) awards, FUNARTE Aesthetic Interactions, Brazilian Music Award, Carlos Gomes Medal of Culture State Secretary of São Paulo. He has 17 recorded discs.
In the framework of the organization of the international conference “Using the Past. The Middle Ages in the Spotlight”, Ivan Vilela has recorded a concert at the Monastery of Batalha, with the collaboration of Brazilian Music Producer Alê Siqueira and musician and multimedia manager Henrique Duarte. The concert which will be available at the intranet of the conference’s website, for all participants registered.
“Hunting scene” (2013), a film by visual artists Musa paradisiaca with Caustrino Alcântara, a Santomean linguist, is centered on a reading of a fragment of “The Tragedy of Mantua’s Marquis and the Emperor Charlemagne”, part of the script of “Tchiloli”, a theatrical tradition of São Tomé and Príncipe. Based on a prayer said by a dying nobleman (Valdevinos), fatally wounded by a high court prince (D. Carloto), for love affairs, this episode is currently forbidden to be represented.
The film will be available at the intranet of the conference’s website. In addition, a live conversation with the visual artists Musa paradisiaca will take place during the conference, aiming at addressing several issues concerned with the reception of medieval literary narratives in Non-European contexts.
Pedro Massano is a well-known Portuguese cartoonist and journalist, author of several comics based on medieval episodes, such as “Cerco de Lisboa” and “A Batalha”, being the latter a visual interpretation of the Battle of Aljubarrota.
A selection of some of the images of the comics but also an interview with the author will be available at the intranet of the conference’s website, for all participants registered.
The roundtable “Academia&Media: Ideas for a better future” is organized in the framework of the international conference Using the Past. The Middle Ages in the Spotlight. It will take place on December, 9, at 11h30 (Portugal/UK Time).
This roundtable aims at bringing together both academics and journalists to problematize the uses and abuses of the Middle Ages in our current society, placing the media in the spotlight.
Together, they will discuss which is the vision of the Middle Ages that prevails in contemporary mass media. In addition, they will address which is the role played by academics as both scholars who disseminate their research and new knowledge on the medieval period but also by experts who intervene in mass media to comment and analyze important phenomena that show a clear use/abuse of the Middle Ages, for instance its invocation in political campaigns, as a support of independent movements or even to justify racialized agendas and terrorists attacks.
Participants will also discuss what is the most accurate language and communication tools to inform and disseminate knowledge on the medieval period. This roundtable ultimately aims at laying the groundwork for new projects and ideas that might contribute to avoid misuses and abuses of the Middle Ages in the short, medium and large term.
The roundtable will count on the participation of Alejandro Garcia Sanjuan, Paulo Pachá, Louise D’Arcens and David Perry. It will be moderated by Pedro Martins and Alicia Miguélez, members of the organizing committee of the conference.
Pedro Martins, member of the organizing committee of the International Conference “Using the Past. The Middle Ages in the Spotlight” presents in this video the roundtable “Academia&Media: Ideas for a better future”
This roundtable is organized in the framework of the international conference Using the Past. The Middle Ages in the Spotlight. It will take place on December, 9, at 18h00 (Portugal/UK Time).
This roundtable aims at bringing together several important authors from contemporary literature, theatre and music who will discuss to what extent the Middle Ages are present in their work.
The roundtable will count on the participation of Canadian writer Lucy Pick, Portuguese writer Luísa Costa Gomes, British musician Litha Efthymiou, and Spanish artistic director Ana Zamora. It will be moderated by Julio Vélez, director of the Instituto del Teatro (Madrid, Spain)
This roundtable is organized in the framework of the international conference Using the Past. The Middle Ages in the Spotlight. It will take place on December, 12, at 16h30 (Portugal/UK Time).
This roundtable aims at discussing several aspects related to the presence of the Middle Ages in contemporary Portugal, which are simultaneously the result of successive medievalizing additions and products of our current look. The questions that this round table poses are: Where to find the Middle Ages nowadays? Where does this search for the Middle Ages lead us? Who leads us? What is truly medieval, in this medieval Portugal?
The roundtable will count on the participation of Isabel Vaz de Freitas, Luísa Trindade, Manuela Santos Silva, Maria Leonor Botelho, and Marta Lalanda Prista. It will be moderated by Covadonga Valdaliso and Amélia Campos, members of the Organizing Committee of the conference.
The international conference “Using the Past: The Middle Ages in the Spotlight” will take place at the Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória (Batalha, Portugal) on December 9–12, 2020.
The conference aims at bringing together scholars from all around the world concerned with the uses of the medieval past.
Instituto de Estudos Medievais, NOVA FCSH,
Colégio Almada Negreiros, Sala 320,
Campus de Campolide
1099-032 Lisboa
Portugal
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Financiamentos FCT: UIDB/00749/2020; UIDP/00749/2020