Représentations antiques et médiévales de la nutrition

Feeding animals/Eating animals. Theories, attitudes and cultural representations of nutrition in ancient and medieval world


Call for papers

Memoria scientiae 2015
Palermo, February 27, 2015 – 

Esperienza inSegna - Polo didattico di Viale delle Scienze, Università di Palermo

Organizers: Pietro Li Causi (independent researcher, Palermo); Andrea Libero Carbone (independent researcher, Palermo)

Scientific Board: Isabelle Draelants (Institut de recherche et d’histoire des textes, CNRS, Paris), Cristiana Franco (Università degli Studi di Siena), Roberto Pomelli (ricercatore indipendente, Palermo), Arnaud Zucker (Université Nice Sophia Antipolis).

According to ancient biological theories, nutrition is, along with reproduction, one of the functions of the soul shared by men, animals and plants. At the same time, however, eating habits are among the starting points on which differences between humans, animals and plants are culturally built. 

This means that a transversal biological praxis can be used as an anthropological device, in order to to fix and identify specific boundaries and thresholds, either symbolic or theoretical, between both animality and vegetality on the one hand, and zoosphere and anthroposphere on the other hand. 

In light of this framework, the issues which contributors are invited to reflect on are the following:

The ways in which symbolic and theoretical boundaries and thresholds are constructed in Greco-roman and medieval texts and cultures;

The theories of nutrition in the framework of the ancient animal (and human) 'psychology' (e. g., in Aristotle, in ancient medicine, in the Presocratics, in Roman and medieval encyclopedists)

The cultural polarity between vegetarianism and sarcophagy in ancient and medieval cultures.

The ancient and medieval ethologies of nutrition.

Please send abstracts of 400 words (along with your name, email, institutional affiliation, and field of study) to pietrolicausi@gmail.com by Thursday, December 18, 2014.

Selected abstracts will be notified by January 9, 2015.

Palermoscienza can refund the tickets for a low-cost flight to Palermo (either partially or totally, depending on the expenses) and will cover the entire cost for one overnight stay in Palermo only for two selected scholars. Please indicate in your e-mail whether you will be able to cover your own travel and accommodation costs, or whether you will require funding from Palermoscienza.