2. Communal Learning and Communal Identities in Medieval Studies

Abstract

This contribution sketches a conceptual history of the ideational component of community in the f ield of medieval studies. It shows that medieval scholars have usually proceeded from a ‘strong’ def inition of communities, emphasized geographical boundaries, posited the importance of consensus, and focused on a common denominator that could be used to characterize the community. The traditional approach to community can be contrasted with the concept of a ‘Community of Practice’, which def ines a community as a practice-based social group whose identity is based on shared performances of a repertoire that is in constant f lux. An implementation of this approach can provide medievalists with the tools to re-interpret medieval communal identities as multiform and caught up in a continual process of renegotiation; and what this means for the way we conceptualize communal learning.