As part of the International Congress on Medieval Studies 2027 (to be held in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA), the Call for Papers is now open for Session 8520: Centring the “Periphery”: New Perspectives on Agency and Women Religious in Iberia. Proposals may be submitted until 15 September 2026.
It is now widely acknowledged that women religious played active roles in medieval society. Recent scholarship has demonstrated not only that these women were far from passive actors, but also that agency was not limited to exceptional individuals or isolated cases. Nevertheless, regions traditionally considered peripheral, such as Iberia, remain underrepresented in the historiography, despite the emergence of important new studies on the subject. By foregrounding current research in this area, this session seeks to contribute to addressing this imbalance. We invite papers that explore the various ways
in which Iberian women religious exercised agency, drawing on a range of disciplinary perspectives — including history, art history, musicology, literary studies, and related fields — as well as diverse methodologies.
The session adopts the broader category of women religious in order to address the plurality of female religious experiences and forms of participation in medieval Iberian society. Its interdisciplinary scope encourages dialogue across fields highlighting the diverse methodologies through which women’s religious experiences and forms of agency can be examined.
Proposals of no more than 250 words, along with a short biography, must be submitted via the official Confex Portal no later than 15 September 2026 (click the link Centring the “Periphery”: New Perspectives on Agency and Women Religious in Iberia).
If you have any questions, please contact Paula Cardoso at pcardoso@fcsh.unl.pt