IMC 2022: Sessions

Session 231: The Borders of Life and Death, I: Preparing for Death

Organisers:	Joanne Edge, Department of History & Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge Jude Seal, Independent Scholar, York
Moderator/Chair:	Jude Seal, Independent Scholar, York
Paper 231-a	Blurring Boundaries: Visions of, and Engagement with, the Holy Dead in High Medieval England (Language: English) Ruth Salter, Graduate Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Reading Index terms: Hagiography, Religious Life, Theology
Paper 231-b	'For God's love, beware by me': The Power of Macabre Art in Late Medieval Northern Europe (Language: English) Natasha Coombs, Department of History, University of Wales Trinity Saint David Index terms: Art History - General, Manuscripts and Palaeography
Abstract	It is perhaps one of the ultimate boundaries - that between the living and the dead. And yet, in the records and narratives of the Middle Ages, death was not only of huge significance, but also not necessarily as permanent as one might otherwise believe. These sessions will explore the borders between life and death: how did medieval people navigate the uncertainties and liminal spaces between the living and the dead, and between being alive and being dead? In what ways did medieval people conceptualise near death experiences? In what ways did the rituals around death represent a syncretism of cultures as religious conversions spread through populations? In what ways did living people attempt to commune with the dead and how did they believe the dead communicated with the living?