Between France and Italy: female mysticism and politics in the modern era – MYSTPOL

The philological and literary analysis of mystical writings and the study of documents are meant as an introduction to two key aspects of political society in the modern era: on the one hand, the aptitude to use mystic language in political and social conflicts; on the other hand, the role of mystic authority in the definition of sacred spaces and devotional practices

The expected results are the following: - publication of articles in academic reviews, mapping the research in its various phases - publication of a book at the end of the project and of a collection of essais, about the different study cases - organisation of seminars, study days and conferences, adressed to students and doctorants, as well as to everyone interested.

The main goal of the project is to start a reflexion about the role of religious and spiritual experiences in women's history. We'd like to introduce the gender studies in religious history, but always in close relationship with the history of the institutions and of political languages, in students' academic career, in order to contribute to a deeper knowledge of political and social implications of religious fact.

The head of the project has published articles (some of them are still in press), she spoke at many international conferences and study days and she's organised seminars in collaboration with the host institution.

In my research I set out to analyse the relationship between politics and female mysticism, comparing France and Italy, with a major focus on North Italy and the State of Savoy, which was constantly influenced by French culture and spirituality, between the Baroque era and the first half of the Twentieth century.
The philological and literary analysis of mystical writings and the study are meant as an introduction to two key aspects of political society in the modern era: on the one hand, the aptitude to use mystic language in political and social conflicts; on the other hand, the role of mystic authority in the definition of sacred spaces and devotional practices. Scholars often deal with religious experiences as if these were only private phenomena: and yet, they are political phenomena as well. So, the proposed research should not be seen as a simple addition of new elements to the information which the scholars already have, but rather as a renovation of the study approach, which of course includes the exploration of new research fields. A long-term approach covering developments from the Seventeenth to the early Twentieth centuries will particularly allow to examine the continuities and discontinuities of the phenomenon, drawing attention to its historical evolution and constant adaptation to different social, cultural and political contexts. From the Seventeenth century mysticism to the forgotten new mystical invasion in the Twentieth Century, we'll see how the relationship between politics and mysticism never ceases to mark the history of Catholicism and of its visionary women.