Space in the Medieval West ─ Places, Territories and Imagined Geographies

In the last two decades, research on spatial paradigms and practices has gained momentum across disciplines and vastly different periods, including the field of medieval studies. Responding to this a€?spatial turna€? in the humanities, the essays collected here generate new ideas about how medieval space was defined, constructed, and practiced in Europe, particularly in France. Essays are grouped thematically and in three parts, from specific sites, through the broader shaping of territory by means of socially constructed networks, to the larger geographical realm. The resulting collection builds on existing scholarship but brings new insight, situating medieval constructions of space in relation to contemporary conceptions of the subject.

Meredith Cohen is an Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She is a founder of the International Medieval Society of Paris and served as President from 2003-2013. Her research focuses on medieval architecture and urbanism in the Gothic period, particularly in France. Fanny Madeline obtained her Ph.D. in medieval history from the UniversitAc de Paris 1 - PanthAcon Sorbonne in 2009 after completing a thesis on the building policy of the Angevin Kings of England. She is currently a member of the editorial board for the journal Medievales, and is the Paris Director for the International Medieval Society of Paris.