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IMC 2026: Sessions

Session 1205: Sustainabilities in the Middle Ages

Wednesday 8 July 2026, 14:15-15:45

Sponsor:Konstanzer Arbeitskreis für Mittelalterliche Geschichte
Organiser:Gerald Schwedler, Historisches Seminar, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
Moderator/Chair:Gerald Schwedler, Historisches Seminar, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
Paper 1205-aSustainability in a Changing Landscape?: Medieval Water Management in Several Regions along the Rhine, 14th-16th Centuries
(Language: English)
Evelien Timpener, Historisches Institut, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
Index terms: Economics - Urban, Geography and Settlement Studies, Technology
Paper 1205-bMedieval Prevention Strategies against Natural Hazards in Alpine Regions: Early Forms of Sustainable Management of Forests, Pastures, and Watercourses
(Language: English)
Christian Rohr, Historisches Institut, Universität Bern
Index terms: Administration, Anthropology, Geography and Settlement Studies, Social History
Paper 1205-cRegeneration through Change?: On the Institutional Sustainability of Medieval Orders
(Language: English)
Jörg Sonntag, Lehrstuhl für Hoch- und Spätmittelalter, Universität Bielefeld
Index terms: Administration, Ecclesiastical History, Monasticism, Sermons and Preaching
Abstract

Sustainability is an extremely important concept for today’s understanding of society; however, it has rarely been analyzed in its historical dimension within the context of the Middle Ages. This Leeds section argues for a pluralized approach to “sustainabilities,” recognizing that medieval societies developed diverse strategies for managing the future under conditions of scarcity and social conflict. The concept of „sustainabilities“ inherently prompts the question of what, precisely, is to be sustained. The section explores sustainability in three key domains: environmental practices; social structures such as families, communities, and even economic systems; and institutional discourses, including civic and ecclesiastical communities. By reframing sustainability as a historically grounded and multi-faceted concept, the section offers new perspectives for assessing long-term transformations and decision-making processes in the medieval period.