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This volume investigates conceptions of medieval thought by means of a reflexive - methodological, historical, and historiographical - perspective. It studies reflections about language and method identified as a conceptual device, employed by medieval thinkers, but likewise by modern historians, to distinguish ´medieval thought´ against its historical background. From early medieval Arabic philosophy to modern historiography, the 14 contributions explore the strategies of self-representation and legitimation of medieval intellectual traditions. As these traditions have shaped the modern system of knowledge and, thus, modern society, the volume contributes to the present debate about the role and function of the humanities.

COMETH ("Conceptions of Medieval Thought") is a research group established in 2014, which embraces scholars at the Universities of Freiburg, Basel, and Strasbourg, active in the fields of Arabic philosophy, medieval philosophy, medieval and early modern theology, as well as reception history.

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Zahnd, Ueli
UELI ZAHND, born in 1979, is associate professor for the history of Christianity at the University of Basel. After studies of theology and philosophy in Bern, Paris and Geneva he obtained a PhD in the history of medieval philosophy at the University of Freiburg. His research focuses on intellectual history in the transitional period between the 14th to 17th centuries, with a particular interest in the medieval roots of protestant thought. UELI ZAHND, geb. 1979, ist Professor für Kirchen- und Theologiegeschichte an der Universität Basel. Nach Studien von Theologie und Philosophie in Bern, Paris und Genf wurde er in Freiburg mit einer Arbeit zur mittelalterlichen Philosophie promoviert. Seine Forschung fokussiert auf die Geistesgeschichte in der Übergangsphase zwischen dem 14. und 17. Jahrhundert mit einem besonderen Interesse für die mittelalterlichen Grundlagen reformierten Denkens.

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