Dante and the Sciences of the Human: Medicine, Physics, Soul

Dante and the Sciences of the Human: Medicine, Physics, Soul

International Congress of Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo, May 9 – 14 2022

In October 2021, the Centre for the Study of Medicine and the Body in the Renaissance will join the worldwide celebrations for the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri’s death (1321–2021) with an international online symposium dedicated to Dante’s poetry and science. Gathering scholars who approach his work and times from interdisciplinary perspectives, the webinar will address how Dante shaped an understanding of the human body and mind, and his relationship with medical and scientific thought in his philosophical and literary production.

Building on this interdisciplinary event, and sponsored by the Dante Society of America, this panel intends to continue the conversation on Dante’s relationship with coeval medical and scientific thought. The panel will address how Dante shaped an understanding of the human body and mind, and how his solutions had an influence in current medical and scientific debates. By analyzing Dante’s engagement within medicine and science, this panel aims to assess the depth and originality of Dante’s solutions in his philosophical and literary oeuvre.

We invite papers and ongoing research projects on different disciplinary and methodological perspectives, included but not limited to:

• Medieval science and medicine, and their relationship with literature;
• Dante’s approaches to the body/soul problem, as seen through all his works;
• The reception and influence of medical and scientific thought in Dante’s philosophical prose;
• Vernacular poetry and science in the 13th and 14th centuries;
• Science, medicine, and literature between the Commedia and its commentary tradition;
• Dante and the visual arts, approaching the body;
• Questions of embodiment in Dante and coeval literature;

The panel is open to scholars and researchers from various fields and career stages. Graduate students who are currently working on completing their final degree program will be considered as well, if their materials are directly related to their advanced degree (i.e., not term papers).

Please send your proposals to Dr. Matteo Pace ([email protected]) via the submission portal of the ICMS: https://icms.confex.com/icms/2022am/cfp.cgi. The deadline for paper proposals is September 15th.
Paper and poster proposals comprise the proposed paper or poster's title; the answers to questions about intent to present, social media and live recording; name, affiliation and contact information for author(s); an abstract (300 words). 
Abstracts of accepted papers and posters and contributions to roundtables and panel discussions will be made available to Congress registrants on the meeting site during the Congress. Paper proposals not selected for inclusion in sponsored and special sessions are automatically considered for inclusion in general sessions, unless the author requests that the proposal not be considered for general sessions.
Notification of acceptance and rejection of papers, roundtable contributions, contributions to panel discussions, and posters considered for sponsored and special sessions is made in October. Notification of acceptance and rejection of papers considered for inclusion in general sessions (those organized by the Program Committee at Western Michigan University) is made in December.