Project description
Mental illness in the Greek Middle Ages
How did Greece in the Middle Ages understand mental illness? Was it in supernatural terms? The EU-funded MadByz project will investigate Byzantine medical views on mental disorders. It will explore their impact on narratives, perceptions and experiences of mental illness in the Greek Middle Ages. Building on previous research in the field of history of medicine and ‘madness’ in ancient times, the project will conduct a systematic study of a wide array of sources. It will serve as a steppingstone towards a better understanding of the history and the circulation of key scientific ideas in the Middle Ages. MadByz will have an impact on how we look at the past and at the present of mental illness, questioning our views and assumptions on key issues of stigmatisation and institutionalisation.
Objective
This proposal explores Byzantine medical views on mental disorders and their impact on narratives, perceptions and experiences of mental illness in the Greek Middle Ages. The Byzantine world is most notably absent from cultural and historical surveys on madness and medicine in pre-modern societies. And yet Byzantium tells us a story worth hearing. Byzantine responses to cognitive and behavioral disorders capture the biological, psychological and social complexity of mental illness resonating with the epistemic pluralism advocated by global mental health studies. By investigating how medical concepts trickle down and affect folk concepts of madness, MadByz challenges the master narrative according to which the Greek Middle Ages understood mental illness only in supernatural terms. By contrast, this proposal argues that Byzantine naturalistic understandings of mental illness are part of a cluster of different discourses on insanity, testifying to the coexistence of varied views on mental disorders. MadByz builds on the experienced researcher’s previous research in the field of history of medicine and on “madness” in ancient times, expanding his expertise and providing new training opportunities in Byzantine Greek, Narratology and Disability Studies. By offering a systematic study of a wide array of sources, MadByz is an essential stepping-stone toward a better understanding of the history and the circulation of key scientific ideas in the Middle Ages. By engaging with the entanglements and conflicts between concepts of mental disorders, MadByz also looks at the place occupied by the mentally ill within their socio-familiar and broader institutional framework. In so doing, MadByz impacts on the way we look at the past and at the present of mental illness, questioning our views and assumptions on key issues of stigmatization and institutionalization, as well as of segregation and inclusion, which are at the heart of mental health policies promoted by the OECD and the EU
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- humanities philosophy, ethics and religion philosophy metaphysics teleology
- humanities history and archaeology history
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
5230 Odense M
Denmark
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.