Blogging Kalamazoo 2021 – Session 319 - In Memory of Susan Groag Bell: Christine [de Pizan]'s Legacy in Material Objects

It's a bit frustrating that some of the more interesting papers are the ones the authors don't want shared. But there are a lot of reasons why speakers request no social media sharing. In some cases, the images are shared that require licences for general "publication" as opposed to research purposes. In some cases, the paper is part of a research project intended for publication and general sharing would undermine the "value" as a publication. Some academics working on "hot button" topics--especially those with marginalized identities--feel the need to carefully manage their public exposure to avoid having to deal with hostile attacks in social media. (Not typically a problem in Christine de Pizan studies, but I'm speaking more generally of the conference as a whole.) The issue of conferences asking for affirmative consent for social media sharing of presentations is fairly new--within the last 4-5 years, I think, for Kalamazoo. But that mirrors the timeframe within which live-tweeting reactions to conference papers moved from an occasional entertainment to a common practice.

Unraveling the Mysteries of High-Warp Tapestries in the Works of Christine de Pizan - Earl Jeffrey Richards, Bergische Universität Wuppertal and Julia A. Nephew, PhD, Independent Scholar

The presenter has requested that their content not be shared on social media. The paper is an examination of various depictions of weaving in art to argue that a specific term that Christine uses does not refer to a weaving technique, but rather to a specific genre of content depicted in tapestries.

Christine de Pizan, from Page to Performance: The Elevated Role of Material Objects in Communicating Thought and Establishing Authority - Suzanne Hélène Savoy, Independent Scholar

The presenter has requested that their content not be shared on social media. The paper explores the use of objects referenced in Christine’s work employed as props in the speaker’s dramatized presentation of Christine’s works.

High Roofs and Shining Stones: Urban Space and the Art of Building in the City of Ladies - Shou Jie Eng, Independent Scholar

Examines Christine’s description of the building of the (metaphorical) city of ladies in the context of urban planning, as well as imagined spaces. The philosophy of urban/architectural planning has a tradition of philosophical considerations, thereby approaching the same metaphorical understanding as Christine from the other side. [This is my interpretation of what he’s saying.] Urban design and building design reflect each other at different scales with corresponding functions and meanings. He’s working from a translated edition alongside various illustrated versions of the manuscript. [I’m going to confess that the analysis is a bit too abstract for me to summarize neatly.] The overall sense seems to be a comparison of Christine’s allegorical advice on building with the advice given by architectural manuals for actual physical structures. The speaker seems a bit surprised that Christine would be so knowledgeable about functional architectural practices.