Time, Affect, and the Medieval
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Medieval Studies Workshop, Univ. of Chicago
Organizer Name
Samuel Baudinette
Organizer Affiliation
Univ. of Chicago
Presider Name
Samuel Baudinette
Paper Title 1
The Medieval, Periodization, and Colonialism in the Caucasus
Presenter 1 Name
John Latham-Sprinkle
Presenter 1 Affiliation
School of Oriental and African Studies, Univ. of London/St. Xavier Univ.
Paper Title 2
Past and Paradox: What Did It Mean to Time-Travel in Medieval Wales?
Presenter 2 Name
Samuel W. Lasman
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Univ. of Chicago
Paper Title 3
When Is Romance? Time and Temporality in Old French Romance
Presenter 3 Name
Jacqueline Victor
Presenter 3 Affiliation
Univ. of Chicago
Start Date
10-5-2019 1:30 PM
Session Location
Fetzer 1005
Description
“Time, Affect, and the Medieval”
What temporal assumptions underlie the classification of the Middle Ages as a discrete, quantifiable, and nominal time period? Building upon the work of Carolyn Dinshaw, this session proposes to reach beyond periodization to consider how the Middle Ages are constructed as an affective temporality, both within and outside of the academy. Likewise, it seeks to illuminate how medieval concepts of time, including how the Middle Ages viewed its own time(s), can be brought to bear on modern approaches to the medieval as a time period.
Recently, our modern, period-based understanding of what the Middle Ages are or were has gained particular prominence in light of various attempts to recuperate the medieval for political ends. In this context, the Middle Ages has come to stand as both a metaphor for society’s backwardness, and as a temporal realm that provides justification for politics that are far removed – in nearly every sense – from the medieval. Underlying this desire to say what the Middle Ages was is the assumption that the Middle Ages were; that they represent an integral, whole unit of time fully distinct from other units of time.
While referring to the Middle Ages as such is often a heuristic necessity due to the modern tendency to periodize time, this session proposes to look at the ways in which the medieval has come to represent an affective temporality, or serve as a site for various forms of historical desire. Likewise, it seeks to think through the connection between time and affect more broadly, including through medieval notions of time, history, and periodization (epochs, stages, etc.). How can the medieval help us to question modern assumptions about temporal structure, including periodization, and how do these structures inform our understanding of the medieval? Samuel Baudinette
Time, Affect, and the Medieval
Fetzer 1005
“Time, Affect, and the Medieval”
What temporal assumptions underlie the classification of the Middle Ages as a discrete, quantifiable, and nominal time period? Building upon the work of Carolyn Dinshaw, this session proposes to reach beyond periodization to consider how the Middle Ages are constructed as an affective temporality, both within and outside of the academy. Likewise, it seeks to illuminate how medieval concepts of time, including how the Middle Ages viewed its own time(s), can be brought to bear on modern approaches to the medieval as a time period.
Recently, our modern, period-based understanding of what the Middle Ages are or were has gained particular prominence in light of various attempts to recuperate the medieval for political ends. In this context, the Middle Ages has come to stand as both a metaphor for society’s backwardness, and as a temporal realm that provides justification for politics that are far removed – in nearly every sense – from the medieval. Underlying this desire to say what the Middle Ages was is the assumption that the Middle Ages were; that they represent an integral, whole unit of time fully distinct from other units of time.
While referring to the Middle Ages as such is often a heuristic necessity due to the modern tendency to periodize time, this session proposes to look at the ways in which the medieval has come to represent an affective temporality, or serve as a site for various forms of historical desire. Likewise, it seeks to think through the connection between time and affect more broadly, including through medieval notions of time, history, and periodization (epochs, stages, etc.). How can the medieval help us to question modern assumptions about temporal structure, including periodization, and how do these structures inform our understanding of the medieval? Samuel Baudinette