Dominique de Courcelles (born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

on 10 June 1953) is a French historian of ideas.

Biography

Studies and Research

Dominique de Courcelles studied at the

École nationale des chartes The École Nationale des Chartes (, literally National School of Charters) is a French ''grande école'' and a constituent college of Université PSL, specialising in the historical sciences. It was founded in 1821, and was located initially at ...

. She became an Archiviste-paléographe (

archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can consis ...

and

paleographer Palaeography ( UK) or paleography ( US; ultimately from grc-gre, , ''palaiós'', "old", and , ''gráphein'', "to write") is the study of historic writing systems and the deciphering and dating of historical manuscripts, including the analysi ...

) and ''Conservateur du patrimoine'' ( heritage curator). She studied with Michel Mollat du Jourdin, Jacques Monfrin, and

Yves-Marie Bercé Yves-Marie Bercé (30 August 1936, Mesterrieux, Gironde), is a French historian known for his work on popular revolts of the modern era. He is a member of the Institut de France. Biography A student at the École Nationale des Chartes and for ...

. She was a research fellow at the

Casa de Velázquez The ''Casa de Velázquez'' is a French school in Spain modelled on the Villa Médicis in Rome, and Villa Abd-el-Tif in Algeria.''75 aniversario de la Casa de Velázquez. Memoria gráfica 1928-2003'', Madrid, Casa de Velázquez, 2006, 182 p. - ac ...

1983–1986. She also studied with Albert Hauf and Martí de Riquer. She obtained her ''Doctorat ès lettres'' at the

École des hautes études en sciences sociales The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (french: École des hautes études en sciences sociales; EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The ...

(School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences) in 1988.''L'écriture dans la pensée de la mort en Catalogne : les "goigs" en Catalogne de la fin du Moyen Âge au XVIIIe siècle''
(Writing in the Thought about Death: The "Goigs" in Catalonia since the End of the Middle Ages until the Eighteenth century). Doctoral dissertation in humanities, directed by Louis Marin (E.H.E.S.S., 1988). She also earned a master's degree in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

at the

Institut Catholique de Paris The Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP), known in English as the Catholic University of Paris (and in Latin as ''Universitas catholica Parisiensis''), is a private university located in Paris, France. History: 1875–present The Institut Catholiq ...

(Catholic University of Paris). She is ''directrice de recherche'' at the

Centre national de la recherche scientifique The French National Centre for Scientific Research (french: link=no, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. In 2016, it employed 31,63 ...

(National Center of Scientific Research). From 1993 to 2000 she was a member of the research group on the Spanish Golden Age led by Agustín Redondo. From 2000 to 2015 she was member of the group of scholars led by Pierre-François Moreau: Centre d’études en rhétorique, philosophie et histoire des idées (Research Group on Rhetoric, Philosophy, and the History of Ideas) at the

École normale supérieure de Lyon The École normale supérieure de Lyon (also known as ENS de Lyon, ENSL or Normale Sup' Lyon) is a French grande école located in the city of Lyon. It is one of the four prestigious écoles normales supérieures in France. The school is ...

. She is an associate researcher at the

at the ''Centre Jean Mabillon'' led by Olivier Poncet. From 1988 to 2005 she taught at the ''Institut de sciences et théologie des religions'' (Institute of Sciences and the Theology of Religions) at the

(Catholic University of Paris). Beginning in 1998, she taught comparative history of cultures and religions in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the

École polytechnique École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

. From 2002 to 2008 she taught the ethics and management of sustainable development at the École des hautes études commerciales de Paris (HEC, European Business School). She also taught courses in the economics of the three monotheisms at the Université de Paris Dauphine. From 2005 to 2015 she taught the seminar "Humanisms, mystics, cosmologies : literature, painting, cinema" at the Institut national d'histoire de l'art (National Institute for Art History) as part of the program at the ''Centre de recherche sur les arts et le langage'' (Center for Research on Arts and Language) at the

(School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences) and as part of the program at the ''Centre des études cinématographiques'' (Center of Cinema Studies) at the University Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris III. She has organized a long list of symposiums in France and abroad, and she also curated several art exhibitions. Since 2015 she has been a member of the research group ''Théta-Théorie et histoire de l’esthétique, du technique et des arts'' (Théta-Theory and History of Aesthetics, Technique, and the Arts), led by Pierre Caye, at the École normale supérieure-Paris (PSL). In 2015 her research project "La Raison du merveilleux à la Renaissance et dans la première modernité" (The Reason of the Marvellous in the Renaissance and the Early Modern Period) obtained an award from the ''Paris Sciences Lettres Research University'' PSL/ École normale supérieure-Paris.

Principal research fields

Following her studies in

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

and philosophy, as well as in

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

and

, Dominique de Courcelles completed several initial research projects, including: ''Les ex-voto marins du Roussillon'' (The Marine "Ex-Votos" of Roussillon) (Master in History), directed by Michel Mollat du Jourdin; a study of the enlightened manuscripts of the ''

Roman de la Rose ''Le Roman de la Rose'' (''The Romance of the Rose'') is a medieval poem written in Old French and presented as an allegorical dream vision. As poetry, ''The Romance of the Rose'' is a notable instance of courtly literature, purporting to prov ...

'' in European libraries (Master of Advanced Studies in Art History), directed by Jacques Thirion and Marie-Madeleine Gauthier; ''La parole risquée de Raymond Lulle entre le christianisme, le judaïsme et l’islam'' (Ramon Llull's Audacious Word: between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) (Master in Theology), directed by Jean Greisch; ''Les goigs de Catalogne : entre le corps, l’image et la voix'' (Catalan ''goigs'': between Body, Image, and Voice) (doctoral dissertation), directed by Louis Marin. Her research works deal essentially with the Hispanic world :

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

Valencian Country The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid ...

, Balearic Islands (mainly Ramon Llull, but also

Ausiàs March Ausiàs March (Catalan and ; 1400March 3, 1459) was a medieval Valencian poet and knight from Gandia, Valencia. He is considered one of the most important poets of the "Golden Century" (''Segle d'or'') of Catalan/Valencian literature. Biog ...

, Bernat Metge, Joan Martorell, Tirant lo Blanch, and so on) ; Spain in the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

and its

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the '' Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the G ...

(

Teresa of Ávila Teresa of Ávila, OCD (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada; 28 March 15154 or 15 October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Spanish Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer. Active during t ...

John of the Cross John of the Cross, OCD ( es, link=no, Juan de la Cruz; la, Ioannes a Cruce; born Juan de Yepes y Álvarez; 24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591) was a Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and a Carmelite friar of converso origin. He is a major figu ...

Pedro Mexía Pedro Mejía (old Spanish spelling: Pero Mexía), (between 17 January and 6 September 1497 – 17 January 1551) was a Spanish Renaissance writer, humanist and historian. He was born and died in Seville, where he lived for the majority of h ...

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best kno ...

, and so on) ; New Spain (

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

) (

Bernal Díaz del Castillo Bernal Díaz del Castillo ( 1492 – 3 February 1584) was a Spanish conquistador, who participated as a soldier in the conquest of the Aztec Empire under Hernán Cortés and late in his life wrote an account of the events. As an experience ...

Bernardino de Sahagún Bernardino de Sahagún, OFM (; – 5 February 1590) was a Franciscan friar, missionary priest and pioneering ethnographer who participated in the Catholic evangelization of colonial New Spain (now Mexico). Born in Sahagún, Spain, in 1499, ...

, Antonio de Saavedra y Guzmán,

Remedios Varo María de los Remedios Alicia Rodriga Varo y Uranga (16 December 1908 – 8 October 1963) was a Spanish-born Mexican surrealist artist working in Spain, France, and Mexico. Early life Remedios Varo Uranga was born in Anglès, is a small town ...

, and so on). Her publications deal also with authors such as

Marguerite Porete Marguerite Porete (; 13th century1 June 1310) was a French-speaking mystic and the author of '' The Mirror of Simple Souls'', a work of Christian mysticism dealing with the workings of agape (divine love). She was burnt at the stake for heresy i ...

Hadewijch Hadewijch, sometimes referred to as Hadewych or Hadewig (of Brabant or of Antwerp) was a 13th-century poet and mystic, probably living in the Duchy of Brabant. Most of her extant writings are in a Brabantian form of Middle Dutch. Her writings i ...

, and so on, but also

saint Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...

Nicholas of Cusa Nicholas of Cusa (1401 – 11 August 1464), also referred to as Nicholas of Kues and Nicolaus Cusanus (), was a German Catholic cardinal, philosopher, theologian, jurist, mathematician, and astronomer. One of the first German proponents of Re ...

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim (; ; 14 September 1486 – 18 February 1535) was a German polymath, physician, legal scholar, soldier, theologian, and occult writer. Agrippa's '' Three Books of Occult Philosophy'' published in 1533 dre ...

, Paracelsus, Michel de Montaigne, la Mère Angélique de Port-Royal, and so on. Her researches have two main directions : 1)

Mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ...

regarding philosophy and literary and artistic creation, during the end of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and the first modern times, and also in the present world. 2) Interpretation of the four elements in

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

and

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

. Her research has two main directions: 1)

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ...

as it involves philosophy and literary and artistic creation from the end of the

through the early

modern period The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...

as well as in the present; and 2) the interpretation of the classical elements (the "four elements") in

, and

Examination of Contemporary Issues

Dominique de Courcelles has completed several research projects on contemporary issues. In 2009 she wrote and directed ''Entre le Feu et l’Eau'' (Between Fire and Water), a film that deals with the

four elements Classical elements typically refer to earth, water, air, fire, and (later) aether which were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. Ancient cultures in Greece, Tibet, and India had simi ...

and the water supply in the megalopolis Mexico City. This film was shown in New York on June 5, 2009, during the UN's Day for the Environment. The film has also been shown across the globe on all continents, including at the 2010 Shanghai Universal Exhibition. From 2009 to 2015 Dominique de Courcelles served as a member of the board of the ''Ateliers de la Terre'' ( Planetworkshops). This association ceased to exist in 2015. In January, 2014, in the ''Fondation Singer-Polignac'' (Singer-Polignac Foundation), she was Director of the international colloquium ''Actes pour une économie juste'' (Acts for a Fair Economy). She is member of the

Unesco The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Chair of Intercultural Dialogue in the Mediterranean, Rovira i Virgili University (

Tarragona Tarragona (, ; Phoenician: ''Tarqon''; la, Tarraco) is a port city located in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. Founded before the fifth century BC, it is the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tarr ...

, Spain).

Direction of Doctorate Theses

Dominique de Courcelles supervises many doctorate theses in the

history of ideas Intellectual history (also the history of ideas) is the study of the history of human thought and of intellectuals, people who conceptualize, discuss, write about, and concern themselves with ideas. The investigative premise of intellectual his ...

( philosophy,

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

) that study historical and contemporary sources, both at the ENS (Ulm) and at the ENS (Lyon). Since 1994, she teaches the doctoral seminar "Cultural Transfers" (approximately six sessions per year).

International Relevance

Dominique de Courcelles is invited every year to foreign universities and research centers in Europa, Latin America, USA, etc. She is an elected member of the ''Hispanic-American Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters'' in Mexico City, Mexico. In 2003 she taught in the ''Marcel Bataillon Seminar'' of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City. She has been elected a member of both the ''Reial Acadèmia de Bones Lletres'' of

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and the

Institut d'Estudis Catalans The Institute for Catalan Studies ( ca, Institut d'Estudis Catalans, ), also known by the acronym IEC, is an academic institution which seeks to undertake research and study into "all elements of Catalan culture". It is based in Barcelona, Catalon ...

(Institute of Catalan Studies) (Historical and philological sciences and liturgical sciences) of Barcelona. In 2004 she was selected to be a member of the

Collège international de philosophie The Collège international de philosophie (Ciph), located in Paris' 5th arrondissement, is a tertiary education institute placed under the trusteeship of the French government department of research and chartered under the French 1901 Law on associ ...

(International College of Philosophy) in Paris. In 2013 she received the ''Serra d'Or Critics Prize'' for her work on Ramon Llull.

Works

Books

* ''La parole risquée de Raymond Lulle ; entre le judaïsme, le christianisme et l’islam''. Paris, Librairie philosophique Vrin, 1992. * ''Augustin ou le génie de l’Europe''. Paris. Éd. Jean-Claude Lattès. 1995. * ''Montaigne au risque du Nouveau Monde''. Paris. Éd. Brepols. 1996. * ''Le Sang de Port-Royal''. Paris, Éd. de l’Herne. 1996. * ''Stigmates'', « Cahiers de l’Herne ». Paris, Éd. de l’Herne. 2000. * ''Langages mystiques et avènement de la modernité''. Paris. Ed. Champion, 2003. * ''Voyage d’herbe et de pluie''. Bari : Schena Editore, Collana Poesia e Racconto. 2006. 140 p. (poetique and philosophical tale). * ''De soplo y de espejo : Lorca-Gades-Saura en Bodas de sangre''. Barcelone, Ed. Alpha-Decay. 2007. * ''Enjeux philosophiques de la mystique''. Grenoble. Éd. Millon. 2007 (Director, collective work). * ''Globale Diversité: pour une approche multiculturelle du management''. Éd. École Polytechnique. 2008. * ''Voir Dieu, la vision mystique''. (Directrice, dossier collectif). Religions & Histoire, Éd. Faton. 2008. * ''Ecrire l’histoire, écrire des histoires dans le monde hispanique''. Paris. Librairie philosophique Vrin. 2009. 410 p. * ''Escribir historia, escribir historias en el mundo hispánico''. México, Ed. UNAM, 2011. 428 p. * ''Cants de Mort d’Ausiàs March''. València. Institució Alfons el Magnànim. Biblioteca d’Authors Valencians. 2010. * ''Histoire philosophique et culturelle des éléments 1 -Goûter la Terre''. Paris. Éd. de l’Ecole des chartes. 2015 (Director, collective work).

References

External links

*
Article about Dominique de Courcelles
in the ''

Great Catalan Encyclopedia Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

''.
Information about Dominique de Courcelles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Courcelles, Dominique de Intellectual historians Academic staff of the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences University of Paris people Institut Catholique de Paris alumni French Hispanists Members of the Institute for Catalan Studies École Nationale des Chartes alumni 1953 births Living people