Imaginer la médecine avant 1660

Imagining Medicine before 1660. Disciplines and Traditions of "Medicine before Modern Medicine"

Call for papers

University of Victoria, 24-25 February 2017
Harry Hickman Building 105

More ancient and broader than what we now call "Medicine", ancient and medieval medicine was not as much a specific discipline as a way of using and weaving together all disciplines with the aim of knowing and healing the human body: it encompassed both the theoretical knowledge of the universe and the practical ways of acting on living beings. Astrology, natural history, alchemy, botany, chemistry, dietetics, psychology, religion, magic, art, music, theology, literature were all relevant in order to explore/explain the mysterious resonances between the universe and the human body, between the macrocosm and the microcosm. Far from disparaging these forms of knowledge that the Scientific Revolution pushed into oblivion or discredit, we'll emphasize the global dimensions (geographic and epistemological) of the ancient medicine and we'll highlight their lasting influence into our own practices and beliefs. This conference will explore ancient and medieval medicines, focusing on the complexities and permeability of disciplines. 

Papers may address medical knowledge and practices, systems and sources, people and stories, institutions and economics, structures of power, indigenous medicine, lifestyles, sanitation and prevention, gender, surgery, anatomy, humours, lapidaries, works of art, etc. We welcome submissions from all disciplines and methodologies.

All aspects of pre-modern medicine will be considered, from the wide range of periods and places across which Hippocrates dialogues with Harvey, Galen and Soranus dialogue with Agnodis and Trotula, Avicenna and Guy de Chauliac with Arnaldus de Villanova and Maimonides, along with many other physicians, healers, midwives, scientists, saints, and seers. Geographical areas include but are not limited to Mediterranean, Europe, Iceland, Middle East, Asia.

Submissions should comprise a title, the name and affiliation of the author, a short biography (150 words), a summary of the proposed paper (300 words max, with a corpus, a methodology and a short bibliography).

Submissions will be selected on the criteria of relevance to the topic and academic rigorousness.
We also invite students and community to submit proposals for art works, short performances, workshops, or shows (up to 30 minutes) of medieval crafts, music, art, and dramatic or martial arts.
Submissions must be sent to mardi@uvic.ca before December 15th, 2016. We encourage submissions from Indigenous Studies.

For more information, contact mardi@uvic.ca. This conference is organized by the students of the program of Medieval Studies of the University of Victoria and is open to all.