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Summer course 2012
37th International Wolfenbüttel Summer
School
Orders of knowing - the medieval cosmos of knowledge
(Herzog August Bibliothek, 5th-18th August 2012)
Convenor: Prof. Dr. Eva Schlotheuber (Düsseldorf)
Application deadline: 15th February 2012
Septem artes liberales, Hortus Deliciarum
der Herrad von Landsberg (ca. 1180)
Theme and Programme
Ordering knowledge has a long historical
tradition, as does the consciousness that recognizing the
"correct" system of knowledge played a powerful
role. Orders of knowledge are never static but always dependent
on the society in which they are anchored, for books and the
knowledge they contain only assume meaning in their social
and cultural context. It is this context that ultimately decides
what knowledge is important and worth knowing. Hierarchy plays
a central role in knowledge systems by fixing the positions
of theological, philosophical, literary or scientific knowledge
in relation to one another. The attribution of certain areas
of knowledge to individual social groups usually also determined
who had access to knowledge. What was appropriate knowledge
for women or for men or for members of certain social groups
or estates was determined by their respective roles within
the fabric of medieval society. As a collection of treatises
entitled "Von einem christlichen Leben" (On a Christian
life) stated, everyone was expected to learn nach sinem stant,
darinne er ist (according to the estate in which he lives).
The Summer School will attempt to understand
and describe medieval knowledge systems by examining various
media, visual and textual: we will look at diagrammatical
depictions of knowledge, the way that knowledge is systematized
in encyclopaedias and at what can be learned by studying library
inventories and their role in the composition of medieval
book collections. The organization of monastic and scholarly
libraries was directly linked to the ordering and ranking
of knowledge in medieval society. It was ultimately based
on a supposedly objective concept of world order with God
at its pinnacle, determining that as the discipline of divine
knowledge theology was accorded primacy within the knowledge
system. This hierarchical order, the medieval cosmos of knowledge,
is thus reflected not just in the way in which monastic and
ecclesiastical libraries were organized, but also in the university
curriculum for the study of the liberal arts, philosophy and
theology. What is the relationship between the various depictions
of knowledge systems in encyclopaedias and diagrams and can
we recognize conflicting or competing models?
The ways that knowledge was attributed to
individual groups or to the sexes was a matter of continuous
renegotiation. Above all in times of crisis or reform debates
ensued on what knowledge was necessary and proprietary to
which groups. Because knowledge (and access to knowledge)
was imbued with social significance and its acquisition was
connected to class and social function, revised definitions
and new alignments can be read as indications of the flexibility
of religious groups and their willingness to accept new trends
or they can be seen as the expression or result of often bitter
struggles for redistribution of power.
The aim of the Summer School is to use the
source material available at the Herzog August Bibliothek
in order to discuss and learn more about the various (competing)
knowledge systems and the way they are shown in diagrams,
encyclopaedias and in the structure of medieval libraries.
The programme will also give participants an opportunity to
give presentations on their own projects and discuss them
with colleagues and those teaching the course. There will
also be time for individual work with the historic collections
of the library.
Professor Schlotheuber has invited five experts in the field
who will also teach at the Summer School:
- Prof. Dr. Rich Kremer, Dartmouth, USA (History of Science)
- Prof. Dr. Nigel Palmer, Oxford, England (Medieval German
Studies)
- Dr. Falk Eisermann, Berlin (Incunabula)
- Prof. Dr. Jeffrey Hamburger, Harvard (Art History)
- Prof. Dr. Christel Meier-Staubach (Neo-Latin).
There will also be an excursion to the Braunschweig City
Archive where Dr. Henning Steinführer will talk about
the holdings (Topic: Experiential knowledge and its systematization).
Applications
The call for applications is addressed
to masters or doctoral students from Germany and abroad. The
languages used in the course will be German and English.
The library offers up to fifteen places
for participants and will cover their expenses for accommodation
and breakfast. Each participant will receive a subsidy of
350 Euros to cover living costs. Participants are expected
to pay their own travel expenses. In special cases applications
may be made for assistance in covering travel costs from abroad.
There are no application forms. Applicants
should state their reasons for wishing to participate in the
course and send a c.v. which describes their academic career
and their current research. Please also supply the address
of an academic referee who may be contacted to supply a reference
if needed.
The deadline is 15th February 2012.
Applications should be submitted, preferably by email, to:
forschung@hab.de
Dr. Volker Bauer
Herzog August Bibliothek
Postfach 13 64
D-38299 Wolfenbüttel
Fax-Nr.: +49 5331-808 266.
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