Recent manuscript studies increasingly examine physical damage to medieval documents as intentional acts. Erasure often functioned as censorship, silencing content deemed transgressive. Conversely, damage has also been interpreted as ritualistic worship, where marks on texts or artefacts express devotion rather than destruction. This session explores erasure both as censorship and as devotional practice, investigating how such traces can be read as deliberate, symbolic interventions. By considering these forms, the session sheds light on the complex interactions between materiality, authority, and spirituality within the medieval archive.

Please note that this is a virtual session. 

All proposals for a paper must be submitted via the ICMS Confex system in order to be considered. Proposals for papers will be accepted through September 15. 

If you have any questions regarding this session, feel free to email the organizer Lorenz Hindrichsen (lorenz.hindrichsen@cis.dk).