Marginalised Voices and Figures in French Festival Culture, 1500–1800

24–25 April 2021, London
Music Department, King’s College London

Please note: due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, this conference has now been postponed until 24-25 April 2021 (n.b. the original dates were 24-25 October 2020). Delegates wishing to participate or attend online will still be able to do so.

Keynote speakers: Prof. Kate van Orden (Harvard University) Prof. Julia Prest (University of St Andrews)

The "France Antarctique" or "Brazilian’ ball given for Henri II’s ceremonial entry into Rouen, 1 October 1550 (Relation de l’entrée de Henri II, roi de France, à Rouen, le 1^er October 1550, Bibliothèque municipale de Rouen, MS Y 28, CGM 1268).

The last few decades have seen a marked increase in early modern festival research. From royal coronations and ceremonial entries to court ballets and investitures of popes and cardinals, such events were important expressions of courtly, civic, and ecclesiastical hierarchy, community, and tradition. Between 1500 and 1800, France was one of the most prolific and influential centers of festival art in Europe. Indeed, French ‘inventions’ such as the court ballet (ballet de cour), the equestrian carrousel, and the comédie-ballet were imitated and emulated across the continent.

However, research on French festival culture has typically focused on traditional centers of power like the royal court, and has either highlighted the contributions of well-known poets, painters, and dance masters or concentrated on the responses of elite spectators like foreign diplomats, princes, and nobles. Our conference instead seeks to shift the focus towards marginalised voices and figures, among them:

Lesser-known musicians, choreographers, poets, and artists who have been overlooked in conventional histories of music, literature, and the arts, namely because they do not conform to narratives of great composers/musicians, poets, and artists, despite being critical to the production and performance of French festivals.
Non-elite people, such as artisans and merchants, who were crucial to the production of festivals, or members from the urban population, who were regularly part of audiences for civic festivities in France, such as ceremonial entries and equestrian carrousels.
‘Subaltern’ people, among them women, ethnic and confessional minorities, queer audiences, and colonial populations, who were often involved in the production and performance of French festivals or attended them in person.

Our conference is interested in both what French festival culture during the period 1500–1800 reveals about these figures, and what this investigation tells us about early modern society on a more global level. What insights does the non-elite or subaltern status of festival contributors offer into early modern perceptions of the arts? What do French festivals tell us about other groups who were generally excluded or oppressed in society? How should we understand the frequent tension between emphasising and erasing the foreign ‘other’ (like the participation of colonial subjects, the use of blackface for racial stereotyping, or the cultural appropriation of valuable colonial objects, etc.)?

Paper proposals

The organisers are keen to encourage an interdisciplinary approach to this subject matter, assembling a balance of musicologists, historians, and scholars in other fields to create a forum for productive exchange. We particularly welcome applications from under-represented groups in academia, such as women, BAME, and LGBTQ+ communities.

We would be interested in any papers that address the following topics:

Investigations of musicians, artists, choreographers, poets, and other festival contributors who have been marginalised in conventional histories of early modern arts.
Analysis of individual festivals, theatrical performances, or ceremonies that involved and/or represented marginalised voices and figures.
Diachronic studies on the involvement and/or representation of marginalised voices and figures.
Research on cultural and diplomatic exchanges between traditional centres of power and commonly marginalised communities, such as colonial populations and confessional minorities. This may include transnational and global approaches to French festival culture.

If you would like to propose a 20-minute paper, please send a brief abstract of about 250 words to marginalisedvoicesconf@gmail.com. When sending your abstract, please also provide a one-page CV with details of your academic experience, affiliation, and publications. The new extended deadline for submitting proposals is Sunday 28 February 2021. The committee will make their final decision on submitted abstracts by early March 2021. Further information about the programme, registration, travel and accommodation will be announced after that date. The organisers are thinking of inviting conference delegates to prepare a chapter for an edited volume of papers presented at this event.

Our twitter handle is @marginalisedvo1.

Organisers:

Marc W. S. Jaffré (University of Oxford), Bram van Leuveren (University of Groningen), and Alexander Robinson (King’s College London).

This event is generously supported by the Royal Musical Association, Music & Letters, The Society for the Study of French History, the Royal Historical Society, and The Society for Renaissance Studies.

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Dimanche 27 Décembre, 2020