International Medieval Society

International Medieval Society is a scholarly association dedicated to the study of medieval history, literature, art, and culture. It brings together specialists from across Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa to foster interdisciplinary research on the Middle Ages, promote conferences and publications, and support teaching and public engagement. The Society engages with medievalists working on medieval Europe, the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic world, and medieval cross-cultural contacts.

History

The Society traces its origins to postwar scholarly networks linking scholars associated with University of Paris, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, British Academy, Royal Historical Society, and Max Planck Society. Early patrons included figures from the circles of Marc Bloch, Jacques Le Goff, Fernand Braudel, and the émigré medievalists connected to Columbia University and Harvard University. The Society organized initial colloquia that intersected with research programs at Bibliothèque nationale de France, Vatican Library, British Library, and Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze and collaborated on projects related to manuscripts from Chartres Cathedral, Santiago de Compostela, and Canterbury Cathedral. Over decades it expanded ties to institutions such as Smithsonian Institution, Getty Foundation, Institut de France, Sorbonne University, and the University of Oxford.

Organization and Membership

The Society is structured with an elected council modeled on governance seen at Royal Society, American Historical Association, and Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst. Leadership roles include a President, Secretary-General, and Treasurer, elected by members drawn from faculty at University of Cambridge, University of Bologna, University of Salamanca, Heidelberg University, University of Chicago, and University of Toronto. Membership categories mirror those of Medieval Academy of America and include Fellows, Associate Fellows, Student Members, and Institutional Members from museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and archives like Archives nationales (France). The Society maintains committees for peer review comparable to panels at National Endowment for the Humanities and grant collaborations with European Research Council.

Conferences and Events

Annual meetings are held in rotation across historic venues including Paris, Rome, Prague, Barcelona, Kraków, and Istanbul and often coincide with exhibitions at Musée de Cluny, Uffizi Gallery, Prado Museum, and Louvre Museum. The Society sponsors specialized symposia on topics ranging from pilgrimage routes such as Camino de Santiago to legal history exemplified by Magna Carta and the Sachsenspiegel, and art-historical sessions engaging with works like the Bayeux Tapestry and the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. It co-organizes panels at international gatherings including International Congress on Medieval Studies, RSA (Renaissance Society of America) conferences, and thematic workshops with Union Académique Internationale and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Public lectures have featured speakers whose work relates to Geoffrey Chaucer, Dante Alighieri, Thomas Aquinas, and Ibn Khaldun.

Research and Publications

The Society publishes a peer-reviewed journal and a series of monographs issued in partnership with university presses such as Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Brill Publishers, and Brepols. Journal articles have addressed manuscripts housed in repositories like Vatican Secret Archives, Wren Library, and Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève and engage with primary sources including the Domesday Book, Capitularies of Charlemagne, Letters of Abelard and Heloise, and chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Collaborative projects include digital editions comparable to those from Digital Medievalist initiatives and catalogues akin to work by The British Library Digitisation programs. The Society awards publication prizes modeled on the British Academy Medal and conference paper prizes similar to honors from the Medieval Academy of America.

Outreach and Education

Educational initiatives partner with schools and institutions such as École Normale Supérieure, Royal Museums Greenwich, National Gallery (London), and community programs inspired by pedagogies developed at King's College London and University of Notre Dame. The Society runs summer schools and workshops reminiscent of those at Institute for Advanced Study and supports digital humanities teaching using corpora from projects like Projet Volterra and Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. Public outreach includes curated exhibitions, collaborations with UNESCO on heritage sites like Mont-Saint-Michel and Jerusalem, and resources for teachers linked to curricula in countries with traditions of medieval studies such as Italy, Spain, France, and United Kingdom.

Category:Learned societies Category:Medieval studies organizations