Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NetMAR (Network for Medieval Arts and Rituals)
Reporting period: 2021-01-01 to 2022-03-31
Funded by H2020 (Grant Agreement no. 951875), NetMAR is an international and cross-disciplinary network dedicated to the study of medieval arts and rituals. Apart from reaching out to various stakeholders, the network brings together scholars, researchers, and students from different countries, institutions, and disciplines, all of whom are committed to academic excellence and to widening participation. The network is made up of three major partners: the University of Cyprus (UCY) and its newly-created Centre for Medieval Arts & Rituals (CeMAR); the Centre for Medieval Literature (CML) at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU); and the Centre for Medieval Studies (ZeMas) at the University of Bamberg (UNI BA).
Anthropologists, social scientists, and classicists have all long been showing strong interrelationships between arts and rituals in various cultures — both ancient and contemporary. Recognising that medieval arts and rituals presuppose each other, NetMAR aims to break new ground by addressing their intersections. Given the importance of Cyprus within both the Byzantine and Western medieval worlds, the project examines Western medieval arts and rituals at the nexus where they coexisted and interacted with their Byzantine counterparts. NetMAR starts from the premise that medieval arts cannot be sufficiently or productively understood unless they are examined together and in relation to rituals; and that rituals are better comprehended within the framework of their associated arts. In an attempt to address this need, NetMAR uses the concepts of ‘ritual’, ‘ritualisation’ and ‘performance’ through which all types of medieval arts can be brought under one roof. Such a holistic approach constitutes a desideratum for Medieval Studies, as it contributes towards a better understanding of the workings of medieval cultures, and it reveals aspects that could not otherwise be seen. At the same time, it allows modern European societies to come to terms with their medieval heritage.
NetMAR’s various Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) include staff exchanges, expert visits, webinars, workshops, a summer school, conference organisation and attendance, and dissemination and outreach activities. The expertise and capacities acquired by these CSA, along with the continuous assistance of the advanced partners, facilitate UCY to:
• produce high-impact publications,
• provide relevant electronic publications for non-academic audiences,
• establish an international, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed, and diamond open access scholarly journal (Eventum: A Journal of Medieval Arts and Rituals),
• upgrade its research management and administration unit,
• support its Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) and promote their career by taking into consideration gender equality.
In its first fifteen months, NetMAR has performed an immense amount of work, including:
1. the creation and setting up of a new research centre at UCY that is dedicated to the study of medieval arts and rituals (CeMAR),
2. establishment of a Platform of Long-lasting Cooperation with the Advanced Partners,
3. training of the four UCY ESRs in proposal preparation and project administration through specifically organised and dedicated seminars and workshops,
4. knowledge transfer to all NetMAR ESRs and the rest of the project participants on subjects concerning the interactions of arts and rituals within the framework of the NetMAR clusters (Places, Structures, Experiences, and Influences),
5. setting up of the project’s journal which will be out in November 2023,
6. preparation and submission of eight proposals for national and European funding two of which were successful; the results of another one will be out within 2022,
7. organisation of three academic conferences and six sessions in international conferences,
8. organisation of an online networking event at the International Medieval Congress (Leeds, UK),
9. organisation of two non-academic events,
10. participation in fifteen international conferences/workshops,
11. publication of two open access articles,
12. collaboration with four new institutions,
13. collaboration with non-academic stakeholders,
14. timely submission of all project deliverables despite the Covid-19 pandemic,
15. realisation of all CSA actions foreseen for the period, despite some delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
NetMAR’s various Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) include staff exchanges, expert visits, webinars, workshops, a summer school, conference organisation and attendance, and dissemination and outreach activities. The expertise and capacities acquired by these CSA, along with the continuous assistance of the advanced partners, facilitate UCY to:
• produce high-impact publications,
• provide relevant electronic publications for non-academic audiences,
• establish an international, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed, and diamond open access scholarly journal (Eventum: A Journal of Medieval Arts and Rituals),
• upgrade its research management and administration unit,
• support its Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) and promote their career by taking into consideration gender equality.
In its first fifteen months, NetMAR has performed an immense amount of work, including:
1. the creation and setting up of a new research centre at UCY that is dedicated to the study of medieval arts and rituals (CeMAR),
2. establishment of a Platform of Long-lasting Cooperation with the Advanced Partners,
3. training of the four UCY ESRs in proposal preparation and project administration through specifically organised and dedicated seminars and workshops,
4. knowledge transfer to all NetMAR ESRs and the rest of the project participants on subjects concerning the interactions of arts and rituals within the framework of the NetMAR clusters (Places, Structures, Experiences, and Influences),
5. setting up of the project’s journal which will be out in November 2023,
6. preparation and submission of eight proposals for national and European funding two of which were successful; the results of another one will be out within 2022,
7. organisation of three academic conferences and six sessions in international conferences,
8. organisation of an online networking event at the International Medieval Congress (Leeds, UK),
9. organisation of two non-academic events,
10. participation in fifteen international conferences/workshops,
11. publication of two open access articles,
12. collaboration with four new institutions,
13. collaboration with non-academic stakeholders,
14. timely submission of all project deliverables despite the Covid-19 pandemic,
15. realisation of all CSA actions foreseen for the period, despite some delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
NetMAR is the first network in Cyprus and around the world that uses innovative, and potentially transformational, methodologies to promote the study of the interconnections between medieval arts and rituals and of how these are understood through each other in a European past and present. The artistic theory of rituals and the ritual theory of arts, which the project participants commonly develop, are intended to prove useful also for understanding the aesthetics of other cultures, whether historical or contemporary. Bringing together excellent scholars from diverse disciplinary and interdisciplinary backgrounds, NetMAR unavoidably transcends existing cultures of knowledge creation and dissemination in the Humanities, while at the same time it leads to the production of unique and high-quality interdisciplinary research. This research, which is expected to be longlasting due to the critical mass of qualified female and male ESRs that it develops, has a direct impact upon UCY, CML and ZeMas scholars whose research profile is strengthened and raised through:
• an increase of peer-reviewed publications,
• increased impact factors in terms of citations,
• invitations to present their work in international academic events,
• the establishment of a new journal,
• successful research proposals.
The following results are expected until the end of the project:
1. launch of the diamond open access journal Eventum: A Journal of Medieval Arts and Rituals,
2. at least ten open access scholarly publications in international publishing houses and journals,
3. training and support of eleven ESRs from the three partner institutions,
4. establishment of a Joint Initiative Framework among the three partners,
5. at least four collaborations with other academic institutions,
6. at least two collaborations with non-academic stakeholders based in Cyprus,
7. establishment of Nicosia as a creative tourism destination,
8. creation of awareness in Cyprus society about the island’s rich medieval heritage and the need to protect and promote it for cultural, social, and economic benefits.
• an increase of peer-reviewed publications,
• increased impact factors in terms of citations,
• invitations to present their work in international academic events,
• the establishment of a new journal,
• successful research proposals.
The following results are expected until the end of the project:
1. launch of the diamond open access journal Eventum: A Journal of Medieval Arts and Rituals,
2. at least ten open access scholarly publications in international publishing houses and journals,
3. training and support of eleven ESRs from the three partner institutions,
4. establishment of a Joint Initiative Framework among the three partners,
5. at least four collaborations with other academic institutions,
6. at least two collaborations with non-academic stakeholders based in Cyprus,
7. establishment of Nicosia as a creative tourism destination,
8. creation of awareness in Cyprus society about the island’s rich medieval heritage and the need to protect and promote it for cultural, social, and economic benefits.