Late Medieval Visionary Women’s Impact in Early Modern Castilian Spiritual Tradition

1. What is your project about and what are the research goals?

The main objective of WIMPACT is to study the circulation and influence of the works on/by European Late Medieval Mystic Women (13th-14th cc.) in premodern Castile (second half 15th c.-early 16th c.). It is divided in two phases: in the first one, I am making an exhaustive research of the manuscripts and early printed books present in Castile in the premodern period and cataloguing them. In the second, I am studying how these writings influenced the Iberian society by establishing new models of behavior for the contemporary charismatic religious women. WIMPACT studies the empowerment of women, their subsequent influence in the politics of the Castilian court and the role that they had in the Observant reforms undertaken in the period and implies, at the same time, a comprehensive, transnational perception of the cultural history of Europe.

The dissemination outreach activities include the publication of newspaper pieces on the project, the participation in virtual conferences, and the implementation in his host university of lectures on female writing in the Middle Ages and beyond. In the next months a website including the open access results of the project will be available and a three-day workshop will be held at Düsseldorf as the final activity of the project.

2. How did the idea for the project come about?

I analyzed  the devotional culture of the Speculum simplicium animarum (Mirror of Simple Souls), a work written by Marguerite Porete, a beguine burned at the stake as a heretic in 1310 in my Ph.D.  dissertation. After completing it in 2009 in Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain), I have acquired an interdisciplinary background in manuscript studies, medieval theology, and gender studies applied to medieval religious women's writing. Since then, I have been working in different aspects of Late Medieval devotional literature related with women in a wide European context (mostly, Italy, France and Germany ). The idea of studying the transmission of works authored by/related with medieval religious women to the Iberian Peninsula have been taking form during almost ten years of uninterrupted research.

3. Why did you decide to apply for EU research funding?

Being an MSCA Fellow actually widens your horizon in many ways.  It gives you access to a resourceful environment where you can really  develop your project supported by the best experts in your field. Additionally, it reinforces your international network and, for sure, this makes a positive impact in your career.

4. What advice do you have for researchers who are interested in EU research funding?

My only advise is that they decide to apply to a EU research fellowship (for example, to a MSCA Individual Fellowship), they need to make sure to have, at least, these three points covered: first, enough time to write, correct and re-work the proposal; second,  support from your host institution; third, energies to finally submit an excellent proposal. These are very demanding processes and you will need a very good performance in order to succeed.