Summer School: Women in Iberian Court Residences (15th-18th centuries)
This summer school, taking place in Portugal in September 2024, is aimed at young researchers interested in court and queenship studies
Court and queenship studies have received growing attention over the past decades and now encompass a broad range of interdisciplinary, transnational and comparative approaches. Building on academics such as Norbert Elias and Theresa Earenfight, recent historiography has analyzed themes of political, cultural and economic agency, gender relations, the development of complimentary (or antagonistic) loci of power, and the dynamic (or disruptive) networks of nobles and courtiers.
This summer school will bring together specialists of royal and court histories to analyze themes encompassing court politics, gender politics, and queenship in the Iberian contexts. It provides a unique experience to learn about, and to discuss the roles and experiences of women within the courtly and palatial settings of both Spain and Portugal.
Sessions will be held on royal households (their form and function), access and networks, female spaces, devotion, correspondence, and leisure. In order to centralize the importance of the spatial dimension within these themes, these sessions will be held in the national palaces of Sintra.
Furthermore, the program includes the opportunity to peek behind the scenes of the National Palace of Sintra, to visit the rococo splendor of the National Palace of Queluz, and to explore the romanticist whimsy of the National Palace of Pena. As monastic spaces were important locations for noble education and for the performance of royal piety, the program will also include visits to outstanding early modern female convents in Lisbon, such as the Convento dos Cardaes.
Intended audience
- undergraduate and graduate students and doctoral students of history, art history, museology, heritage
- heritage and museum professionals
- general public with a specific interest in the topic