We invite the submission of unpublished, original research papers to be presented at RiMS 2023. The fourth RiMS meeting will gather around the subject of domestic spaces and household consumption in Europe from the 11^th to the 16^th centuries, a period in which domestic goods multiplied and served as indicators of both economic and social power.

Braga, Lab2PT, University of Minho (Portugal), 9th -10th November 2023

Conveners

• Joana Sequeira (Lab2PT, University of Minho),
• Flávio Miranda (CITCEM, University of Porto),
• Maria Amélia Álvaro de Campos (CHSC, University of Coimbra),
• Tiago Viúla de Faria (IEM, Nova University of Lisbon)

Argument

We invite the submission of unpublished, original research papers to be presented at RiMS 2023. The fourth RiMS meeting will gather around the subject of domestic spaces and household consumption in Europe from the 11^th to the 16^th centuries, a period in which domestic goods multiplied and served as indicators of both economic and social power. Material culture studies are not limited to archaeological inventories of objects or artistic descriptions of buildings. Instead, recent historiography has focused on the living aspects of domestic spaces besides their materiality. Although aesthetic characteristics are important, analyzing the social function of daily objects is proving fundamental, paying more attention to the emotional relations established by the owner with the objects possessed, desired, and acquired. The study of great households and palaces inaugurated the studies in the field, but research has also been focusing on the living places of the lower social classes, such as artisans or peasants, thus deepening the knowledge of social distinction through material culture.

The call for papers is open to any scholar working on medieval Europe, particularly those who have produced, or potentially will produce, ground-breaking research. Proposals may cover longer-term examinations or focus more narrowly on a period and/or setting. Papers will be committed to double-blind peer review and the Coimbra University Press will publish a selection both in print and as an open-access, database-indexed e-monograph.

We suggest the following core themes:

Domestic interiors

a) Living spaces and their social function

b) Furniture, textiles, cookware, etc.

c) Daily objects and emotions

Materiality and social status

a) Great households and palaces

b) Equality and inequality in domestic spaces

c) Luxury, poverty, and living styles

Household management

a) Household accounts and expenses

b) Daily life consumption patterns

c) Household staff: tasks, recruitment, wages

Research methodologies

a) Written sources on domestic interiors

b) Historical reconstruction and re-enactment of living spaces and daily objects

c) Digital approaches to material culture studies

Submission guidelines

Researchers are invited to send to rimsmeeting@gmail.com a 400-500 word proposal and a 1-2 pages CV

by 15^th May.

The registration fee of €100 includes coffee break and meals (2 lunches and 1 dinner). A list of affordable hotels will be provided on our website https://rimsmeetings.wordpress.com/.

Keynote speakers are to be announced shortly.

Important dates

• Call for papers: until 15^th May 2023

• Applicants informed of decision: 30^th May 2023
• Papers submission: 30^th   September 2023
• Meeting: 9^th and 10^th November 2023
• Post-meeting manuscript submission to peer review: 31^st January 2024
• Final version for publication: 30^th April 2024