QUB Institute for Collaborative Research in the Humanities
& the Medieval Forum
Crowds, Space and Authority in Pre-Modern Towns
Colloquium, 1st-2nd November 2013
Queen’s University Belfast
How was the urban crowd understood by pre-modern commentators and
managed by civic authorities?
It is important that we understand how our past urban environment has shaped behaviour and
attitudes. Modern society faces perennial questions about civic tensions, exclusion and authority,
linked to broader problems of identity within urban groups. Recent riots in London, and even in
Belfast, demonstrate how urban space is reshaped through the assertive actions of certain
inhabitants.
This proposed project is original in that it considers such trends across a broad chronological span
(1100-1800), thus identifying both continuities and changes in the expression of crowd identity
through both commonplace and exceptional occupation of urban space. How was the urban crowd
understood by pre-modern commentators and managed by civic authorities? Were towns
considered to be places of conflict, tension and immorality, or communal areas that represented
more positive and empowering characteristics of urban life?
We can shed light on these types of issues through a study of crowds and their dynamic. Four subthemes have been identified that will form the basis of discussion: performance; dissent and
transgression; agency and identity; authority. An interdisciplinary approach, drawing upon the work
of historians, geographers, English scholars, sociologists, anthropologists, archaeologists, and others,
can broaden our understanding of crowds, space and authority in urban communities. It is hoped
that this colloquium will identify research areas of mutual interest, which will lead to further
collaborations and even a formal network.
A variety of speakers will be invited to present papers or lead round-table discussions. The colloquium
will be held from the afternoon of Friday 1st November to the afternoon of Saturday 2nd November.
All are welcome to attend. A confirmed programme will be circulated in the summer.
For more information, please contact: Dr James Davis, School of History and Anthropology, Queen’s
University Belfast, email: james.davis@qub.ac.uk.