Why Mester de Clerecía in 2015?

The term “mester de clerecía” was first articulated by Manuel Milà i Fontanals in 1865. Over the subsequent 150 years the expression has been used to refer to a wide range of clerical poetry, astonishingly rich and varied, composed in the Iberian Peninsula during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Recent research has deepened our understanding of many aspects of this literature, and now is the time for scholars to come together to examine the past, present and future of its study. In the beautiful fall weather of the U.S Southwest, scholars from a variety of disciplines and from across the globe will gather at the bilingual campus (Spanish and English) of The University of Texas at El Paso to mark this important milestone, to reassess this literature and its study, as well as to chart new directions for the field.

Call for Papers

The organizers seek proposals for 20-minute papers on all aspects of this literature and the context in which it was produced. Papers from related fields (history, musicology, art history, comparative literature, historical linguistics, etc.) are especially welcome. To find out more about the conference (including the preliminary schedule of events and invited speakers) and to submit an abstract, please visit our website.