Having been gifted with the senses, what did medieval man make of himself? Was he ashamed of the evil qualities that they brought, as claimed by many medievalists such as Jacques le Goff? Indeed, was it necessary for medieval people to oppress their sensual lives? Or was it possible to accommodate them in a positive manner? Which specific functions were attributed to the sensual sphere of life?

It is these and many other questions we would like to explore during the international conference whose aim it is to discuss the meaning of the senses in medieval culture. We are interested in the debate not only relating to the corporal senses and sensual experiences of medieval people, but also to the theory of spiritual senses which was shared by many authors of that period.

This debate is taking place to coincide with the presentation of the new Gallery of Medieval Art at the National Museum in Warsaw. Consequently, papers that take artefacts from the Gallery into consideration are especially welcomed.

The conference is interdisciplinary by nature. Historians, historians of art, archeologists, specialists in religious studies, sociologists, philologists, philosophers and many others have all been invited.

In order to present a paper during conference we kindly ask students and PhD candidates to submit a proposal with:
1) the title of paper

2) scientific aims and questions and foreseen results

3) an abstract of the paper

4) a bibliography (sources and secondary literature)

The proposal should be no longer than 2000 words and should be sent no later than 31.01.2014 to the following address: mediewistyka@gmail.com

The program of the conference is to run in parallel with the presentation of a new exhibition at the Gallery of Medieval Art, a presentation that will include manuscripts preserved in the National Museum as well as a concert of medieval music.

Publication of the papers is foreseen in 2015 as a reviewed monograph.