Colloque – Medieval accountability: normativity, numeracy, and rhetoric from the institutional to the domestic sphere

University of Bucharest, 2-3 June 2023

The last two decades of research into medieval ideas and practices of accountability emphasised the multifaceted nature of this subject, from financial accountancy to norms of conduct in office to broader notions of social responsibility. As individual studies tended to focus on one or a couple of specific aspects, it becomes important at the present historiographical juncture to direct our attention to the points of articulation between the different practices of accountability, circa 1200–1500. This two-day conference invites contributions that examine accountability from multiple angles and test new approaches. We particularly encourage comparisons between the institutional and the private sphere, for instance as regards the mutual influences and shared culture of accountability/responsibility. Equally, we welcome contributions that discuss the relation between, on the one hand, numeracy and accounting, and on the other hand, memoranda and instructions about conduct in office or more broadly in society. As a way of expanding the traditional emphasis on accounting records, papers can also explore other sources that evince relevant aspects of social and institutional conduct and one’s responsibility for it, such as administrative reports and inquests.

Programme du colloque : programme

contact : Ionuț Epurescu-Pascovici at ionut.epurescu-pascovici@icub.unibuc.ro