Researcher: Angélica Varandas, Ana Rita Martins Capela e Silva (RG1)
Project Designation: BODY&SOUL. Depictions of flesh and spirit in Portuguese medieval art and literature. The imagery of western civilization in the making.
Principal Researcher: Armando Norte
Research Unit: CHUL – Centre for History of the University of Lisbon
Duration: Since 2022
Website: https://chul.letras.ulisboa.pt/projectos-detalhe.php?p=869
Overall description:
In light of the scarcity of existing studies, the primary objective of this project is to investigate the diverse discourses concerning the body and soul during the Portuguese Middle Ages, based on its representations in literature and artistic objects. This demands a comprehensive historiographical questionnaire, achievable only through a multidisciplinary team, like the one assembled in the project, encompassing expertise in History, History of Art, Literary Studies, and Philosophy. Such a team is well-equipped to incorporate into the analysis issues debated by new historiographies, such as the History of Mentalities, Gender History, History of Emotions, and Environmental History.
The questions to be tested, mainly include understanding (i) the body’s relationship with the sacred and the profane; (ii) its allegorical use; (iii) its connections to the natural world; (iv) and the importance of gesture as visible, expressive, and symbolic manifestations. Additionally, the project intends to explore its role in the differences in social order, both in the construction of sexual gender and otherness; the medical knowledge related to it; its contribution to the formation of enduring social archetypes; and its imagery impact nowadays