CONGRESS CANCELED Astrology in Practice: Perspectives from the History of Visual and Material Culture

CONGRESS CANCELED Astrology in Practice: Perspectives from the History of Visual and Material Culture

Schneider 1235

This session examines historical arenas in which astrological theory was enacted, enhanced, and modified by medieval bodies, in concert with artifacts and monuments. Recent scholarship has proven the widespread prevalence and import of astrology in the medieval world. A dynamic area of research accentuates astrology not simply as a theoretical science or cosmology, but as a practice with a wide range of applications—from medicine to politics. A focus on astrological practice allows us to understand how abstract scientific theorems shaped lives, bodies, and lived experiences. Material objects and monuments offered critical intermediaries in the performance of astrological practice by human subjects. This session aims to advance interdisciplinary research on the practice of astrology, with emphasis on intersections between histories of science and visual/material culture.

co-organized by Anna Majeski and Jordan Famularo

Institute of Fine Arts, New York University