Scientific Network: Imitation - Mechanismen eines kulturellen Prinzips im Mittelalter
Spokespersons: Dr. Jörg Sonntag (FOVOG) and Prof. Dr. Gerald Schwedler (Kiel)
The network addresses imitation in the sense of an act of consciously imitating persons and objects, actions and ideas as an omnipresent pattern of orientation, behaviour and education of the Christian Middle Ages and thus understands it as a cultural principle of European society. By jointly analysing the appearance and effect of this principle, the network links current research projects on programmatic-conceptual imitations in architecture, text and ritual. The result is a dynamic, multidisciplinary research network whose method makes it possible for the first time to empirically ascertain not only the quality of imitations in their moral, social, legal, political, theological and artistic-creative dimensions, which can be grasped through self-perception and external perception, but also their moral, social, legal, political, theological and artistic-creative dimensions. At the same time, the individual results in and between the spheres of life in the Middle Ages are brought together in a comparative manner, both conceptually and in terms of content, and are evaluated historically.
Through the prism of the key phenomenon of imitation, which has not yet been approached in an interdisciplinary way, the network aims to offer a fascinatingly different view of medieval culture. By comparing its results with the positions taken in today's debates on the tensions between tradition and innovation, authenticity and plagiarism, the network is highly topical and able to connect to modern socio-political discussions.
The network's work, which is characterised by six international workshops, is to include a source anthology, two thematic journal volumes and further individual studies by participants in relevant journals.