CALL for PAPERS for the next issues 13/2, 14/1, 14/2, and 15/1
The monographic theme of the # 13/2 (2024-2)
Scientific Interests and Technological Innovation in Byzantium: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Guest Editor: Doru Costache
Deadline: April 30, 2024
The study of Byzantine science and technology is not an academic newcomer, but recently this field of research has been relaunched on an unprecedented scale. We have already learned, perhaps surprisingly, that the Byzantines—not being obsessed with either things transcendent or the glories of ages past—were curious to know and to understand reality, as well as ingenious in transforming the space they inhabited. They theorized, experimented, and innovated. It should not come as a surprise that, towards the end of their world, Nikephoros Gregoras (d. 1360) could ridicule his western colleagues for being stuck with Aristotle’s division of theoretical and applied sciences, while his compatriots had advanced beyond that point. Recent studies, indeed, have brought to light Byzantines’ consuming interest in “canonical” and “occult” sciences—from astronomy, mathematics, architecture, and medical research to alchemy and astrology—as well as in technological invention. This monographic issue of De Medio Aevo will deepen our understanding of Byzantine science and technology, broadly understood.
Monographic theme of the issue 14/1 (2025-1)
The Economic Agency and Activity of Elite and Royal Women in Premodern Europe
Guest Editors: Elena (Ellie) Woodacre, Lledó Ruiz Domingo and Inês Olaia
Deadline: November 15, 2024
This special issue features research drawn from 'The Queen's Resources 2' conference at the Universidad de Lisboa in October 2023 and reflects the ongoing activity of the wider collaborative project 'Examining the Resources and Revenues of Royal Women in Premodern Europe' (https://www.queensresources.org/). The theme of the monograph will emphasise the capacity and management of economic resources by elite women in medieval and early modern period. We believe that exploring topics such as landholding, dowers and dowries, money management, household accounts, and "rethinking money" will provide a comprehensive understanding of the economic roles played by royal women in the medieval and early modern periods. This economic aspect has been understudied, yet it is crucial to understanding the mechanism of queenship and the experience and activity of royal and elite women. The papers in this special issue will provide case studies and analysis of the economic agency of women, highlighting the widely acknowledged connection between money and power, but adding a new dimension to this relationship by adding a gendered perspective.
The monographic theme of the # 14/2 (2025-2)
Literature and sacred art in the Valencian Golden Age
Guest Editors: Dominique de Courcelles and Josep Antoni Aguilar
Deadline: April 30, 2025
From the sermons of the famous Valencian Dominican Vincent Ferrer (+1419), a theologian involved in political and religious life, to the Vita Christi of Sister Isabel de Villena (+1490), a famous abbess of the Poor Clares of the Trinity of Valencia, the spiritual works do not fail to include numerous motifs from the culture of the time. Sacred art in this same Valencian Golden Age contributes to the effectiveness of spiritual works.
Monographic theme of the issue # 15/1 (2026-1)
Houses of Christians, Muslims, and Jews in the 15th century
Guest Editors: María Elena Díez Jorge and Christine Mazzoli Guintard
Deadline: November 15, 2025
This monographic dossier aims to advance our understanding of houses in the Hispanic context, considering the different ways of life that converged in the Iberian Peninsula during the 15th century. Documentation of house descriptions and their furnishings reveals a complex world with adornments often characterized by cultural styles (such as Moorish, Turkish, or Castilian). Furnishings labeled as “Moorish” were not always found in the homes of Muslims or converts; for example, it was common for Moorish-style items to be present in the dwellings of old Christians. Nevertheless, the fact that the inhabitants of a house came from different cultural backgrounds and had distinct ways of life created a certain atmosphere that permeated the interior of their homes. There were cultural differences, but also exchanges and similarities that allow us to speak of more than three cultures as part of a multifaceted whole. Studying houses through texts and images together provides an essential tool for approaching the respective emotional communities and the various facets of this cultural polyhedron of the 15th century. This proposal stems from the methodological need to comprehensively understand houses in the Hispanic context during the 15th century. Architecture, spatial distribution, family dynamics, furnishings, and emotional experiences all played a role, considering that the complex society of the period encompassed homes with initially diverse ways of life, yet sometimes with practical aspects that were less differentiated.
