IMC 2020: Sessions

In 1941, Lucien Febvre called on scholars to place emotions at the very centre of their work; until they did so, he famously insisted, 'there will be no real history possible'. In 2019, the history of emotions proceeds at a lightning pace, sustained by the establishment of dedicated journals, book series, societies, and research centres. This 'affective turn' has seen the emergence of a raft of new methodologies and the destruction/ adaptation of old ones; attempts to chart emotional continuities and changes over the longue durée; a widening of geographic scope beyond western Europe; and important contributions to medieval studies more broadly. Organised by the new Society for the Study of Medieval Emotions, this session explores the advantages and challenges of the history of emotions for the medievalist, with both established and early career scholars reflecting on the role of emotions in their research and teaching, the development of the field and its methodologies, and future avenues of enquiry.

Participants include Richard E. Barton (University of North Carolina, Greensboro), Ana Del Campo (University of St Andrews), Antonella Liuzzo Scorpo (University of Lincoln), Hailey Ogle (University of St Andrews), Francesca Petrizzo (University of Leeds), and Stephen Spencer (University of London).