GDRE AILP

The GDRE AILP (“Interdisciplinary approach to the logics of power in medieval Iberian societies”) is a European scientific coordination network, the purpose of which is to exchange information on the scientific theme “Foundations, models, systems and processes of governance in Iberian peninsula in Middle Ages”.

The teams federated by IALP, and also concerned by a collaboration with external interested participants are working together in order to coordinate an approach to the logics of power in medieval iberian societies. The epistemological frame is an interdisciplinary one, which associates linguists, philologists, literary specialists, iconologists and historians. The comparative dimension, in particular the European one, is always taken into account.

IALP coordinates collaborative activities on power practices in Iberian medieval societies, studied through their main institutional operators (customs, franchises, codes, edicts, conciliatory acts) as well as doctrinal ones (treaties), but also through the various levels of achievement inherent to languages (linguistic policies, gestuality, iconographic and architectural programmes), to written culture (practical documents, hagiography, historiography, literary works) and to social practices (oral language, rites and ceremonies , group ethics and education). The GDRE AILP coordination should throw interdisciplinary light on the various, complex and interactive mechanisms of the exercise of power in Spanish medieval societies.

The teams federated by IALP commit themselves to lead a scientific policy of cooperation, especially on the sharing of information, the diffusion of bibliographic and documentary data, the mobility of researchers, the coordination of meetings and the organization of scientific activities, so as workshops, seminaries and colloquia, the diffusion of their scientific production.

Considering the interdisciplinary orientation and the federating theme defined above, IALP will promote exchange of information and researchers as well as a reflection on possible future projects on the following main set of themes :

1 Circulation of thoughts, men and works (cultural trends and mediation, translation)

2 Political models and social powers (chivalrous, ecclesiastic and municipal models)

3 Symbols and rites of the monarchy

4 Origins of the territorial and social identities : languages, institutions, history

5 Logics of legitimating (legitimacies, conflicts, negotiations)

6 Validation of powers in the judiciary

7 Issues and processes of the elaboration of a written or oral historical culture

8 Realms, questionings and modalities of female rule

9 Norm and transgression in social and literary practices

10 Linguistics of power

These themes are able to cross and interfere in some punctual scientific manifestations, so as seminaries and colloquia. The nature and the schedule of the activities for the years 2010-2012 will be defined over the next few months. At the same time, regular seminaries will reunite, in Lyon and in Paris, researchers in view to transmit and exchange information on the main thematic studies of IALP. The scientific committee of IALP will come to a decision every year about the indicative program. The committee will be attentive to the multisided and international coordination and to the quality of the circulation and diffusion of scientific information.

In 2009 we will insist on three themes of studies (translation, territorial identities and historical culture) that will lead to various forms of meeting and exchanging. This will bring about four main meetings :

 Contribution to a study and translation of the Segunda Partida (workshop, Lyon, 23-27 march 2009)
 Collaboration in colloquium “Urban identities in Medieval Spain” (Cuenca, 28-30 september 2009)
 Power and translation. The ideological and political aspects of translation in medieval Iberia (colloquium, Lyon, October 2009).
 The Liber regum, first royal Spanish chronicle written in the vernacular (colloquium, Paris, December 2009)

In the medium term, the following meetings have been contemplated in order to gather and exchange information on the main themes defined above :
 Counsel, councilors (colloquium, Paris, 2010)
 Lineage and legitimacy in Medieval Iberia (colloquium, Oporto, 2010)
 Concepts and exercise of solidarity (naturality, vassalage, friendship, pact, etc.) (colloquium, Cuenca, Spain, 2010 or 2011)
 A colloquium will be organized around the theme “Linguistics of power” by Madrid Autonomous University in 2010 or 2011.
 Construction and political issues of the royal Spanish historiography in the 12th century : the Historia silensis (colloquium, Paris, 2011)
 Original myths of the territorial solidarities (cities, lord’s lands, kingdoms) (colloquium, Madrid, 2012)
 Construction and political issues of the Iberian historiography in the 11th and 12th centuries : the annalistic production (colloquium, Paris, 2012)
 A meeting leaded by Saragossa will be organized but dates and subject are not yet defined

However, this thematic plan constitutes a provisional one, for information only. The scientific committee, after receiving all the team’s proposals, will decide the definitive schedule of the activities.