CALL FOR PAPERS: Medieval accountability: normativity, numeracy, and rhetoric from the institutional to the domestic sphere (University of Bucharest, 2-3- June 2023)

(Image source: Medieval Britain)

On 2-3 June 2023, the University of Bucharest organizes the conference 'Medieval accountability: normativity, numeracy, and rhetoric from the institutional to the domestic sphere'.

The last two decades of research into medieval ideas and practices of accountability emphasised the multifaceted nature of this subject, from financial accountancy to norms of conduct in office to broader notions of social responsibility. As individual studies tended to focus on one or a couple of specific aspects, it becomes important at the present historiographical juncture to direct our attention to the points of articulation between the different practices of accountability, circa 1200–1500. This two-day conference invites contributions that examine accountability from multiple angles and test new approaches. We particularly encourage comparisons between the institutional and the private sphere, for instance as regards the mutual influences and shared culture of accountability/responsibility. Equally, we welcome contributions that discuss the relation between, on the one hand, numeracy and accounting, and on the other hand, memoranda and instructions about conduct in office or more broadly in society. As a way of expanding the traditional emphasis on accounting records, papers can also explore other sources that evince relevant aspects of social and institutional conduct and one’s responsibility for it, such as administrative reports and inquests.

The conference papers will be collected in an edited volume published with an international academic press and should reflect original, unpublished research. The organisers will provide three nights hotel accommodation and help defray travel expenses. For inquiries, contact Ionuț Epurescu-Pascovici at ionut.epurescu-pascovici@icub.unibuc.ro

Proposals of circa 300 words outlining the source material, methodology, and anticipated findings should be emailed to ionut.epurescu-pascovici@icub.unibuc.ro by 15 December 2022.  

More information can be found here.