Media and Identities in the Middle Ages

Project summary

The project is part of international academic cooperation in the field of the cultural history of media. Its objectives are to explore the creation and development of media in a historical setting, with the principal emphasis placed upon the analysis of different modes of expression and their role for identity formation in the Middle Ages. Verbal, visual and material forms of representation and identification are examined, and it is assessed to what extent medieval media may have shaped both collective and personal identities. History of media is a developing field of study both in Norway and internationally. The interaction between the past and present and the long lines of history (la longue durée) are brought to the fore, alongside the realization that premodern phenomena are in no way marginal to the understanding of modern realities. The project is expected to add new perspectives to the discussion of media, mediality, communication and didactic practices, as well as social and cultural identities during different periods of time.