Observant Reform in the Late Middle Ages

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Special Session

Organizer Name

Torsten K. Edstam

Organizer Affiliation

Univ. of Chicago

Presider Name

Sara Ritchey

Presider Affiliation

Univ. of Louisiana-Lafayette

Paper Title 1

Observant Historiographies Past, Present, and Future

Presenter 1 Name

James D. Mixson

Presenter 1 Affiliation

Univ. of Alabama

Paper Title 2

Aristotle and Observantine Reform at Fifteenth-Century Montserrat

Presenter 2 Name

Daniel K. Gullo

Presenter 2 Affiliation

Columbus State Univ.

Paper Title 3

Twelfth-Century Devotion and the Observant Movement: Victorine Theology as a Source for Late Medieval Reform

Presenter 3 Name

Torsten K. Edstam

Start Date

12-5-2013 10:30 AM

Session Location

Valley II 204

Description

The purpose of this session is to provide a forum for scholars studying different aspects of the late medieval Observant Movement. This movement led members of religious communities throughout Europe to engage in some of the most significant reform efforts of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Although reformers sought to return to the strict observance of traditional religious obligations, their efforts often resulted in innovation as they adapted older notions of religiosity for new historical circumstances. The papers in this session will examine the Observant Movement from two distinct perspectives. The first paper will overview the historiography of the reform movement and suggest new directions for further research. The other two papers will explore the sources, which helped shape the distinct culture of reading among Observant communities.

Torsten K. Edstam

Doctoral Candidate

Department of History

University of Chicago