For the sessions of the Medieval Studies Seminar, see
November 7, 2025
November 12, 2025
Lecture Beyond the Master Narrative: Literate Practices of the Transylvanian Saxons (1350-1550) by Adinel C. Dincă, an Associate Professor at Babeș-Bolyai University (Romania) and the leader of the Horizon Europe project RESTORY – Recovering Past Stories for the Future: A Synergistic Approach to Textual and Oral Heritage of Small Communities. The event will be held in English.
A short description of the lecture:
The traditional “Master Narrative” of medieval literate practices envisions a uniform, West-European trajectory focused on cathedrals, universities, monastic schools, and aristocratic courts, equating literacy with scholastic or devotional refinement. Yet this model overlooks the pragmatic writing that animated much of Late Medieval Europe. The Transylvanian Saxons exemplify an alternative path: an autonomous network of towns and villages within the Kingdom of Hungary where literacy skills flourished without traditional institutions. Their territory was organized around burghal centres, yet these settlements were not simply municipal islands surrounded by a rural hinterland but functioned as hubs of mobility and communication, radiating urban-type culture deep into the countryside. The means of transmission were parish priests, secular clerics, and notaries public who circulated between towns and villages, carrying with them both technical and linguistic competence. Writing served governance, commerce, and moral cohesion rather than personal piety or intellectual display. This presentation intends to challenge the West-centric paradigm and broaden the understanding of medieval literacy as a constellation of localized practices shaped by social needs and institutional diversity.
December 9, 2025
A full-day workshop on the use of digital tools and artificial intelligence in research.
January 12 - February 25, 2026
MeMI-course: Oppineisuus, uskonto ja kansanomaiset perinteet (5 op), in collaboration with the Open University
The course explores the production and transmission of knowledge and information in the Middle Ages, focusing on the interplay between scholarly thought, visual culture, and popular beliefs. Central questions include: How was information produced, justified, and disseminated in medieval society? How did different agents contribute to the construction of information? The language of instruction is Finnish. Further details are available on the
Four of our members gave talks in a public event at the Järvenpää city library.
September 9, 2025
Summer Excursion
MeMI summer excursion to the archaeological excavation site of Pöykäri castle hill. The expedition also visited the churches of Lohja and Sammatti.
June 5, 2025
Project Presentation - Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia
Marko Lamberg provided an overview on his research within the international project
May 14, 2025
Funding Workshop - Culture Centre Sofia
A full-day event presented funding opportunities in Finland and abroad and helped participants refine their application texts.
February 24, 2025
Excursion to Medieval Turku
A visit to the Chapel of the Holy Spirit and the Turku Cathedral. Their collections were introduced from an archaeological viewpoint by Dr. Liisa Seppänen.
February 21, 2025
Project Presentation
Prof. Tuomas Heikkilä and Dr. Tuuli Kasso presented their research project
November 26, 2024
Daytrip to Tallinn
A walking tour through the history of medieval Tallinn, led by Docent Tapio Salminen, and a visit to the Niguliste museum.
September 20, 2024
Re-using and re-writing now and then: digital approaches to pre- and early modern textual practices
An international workshop with eight speakers in collaboration with NOS-HS.
August 14, 2024
Excursion to Medieval Porvoo
Tuuli Heinonen showed the group around the archaeological excavation site on Iso Linnamäki.
June 12, 2024
MeMI kick-off event
May 14, 2024
Daytrip to Tallinn: medieval shipwreck
Led by Eero Ehanti.
April 26, 2024
Middle Ages and Snacks
Tuuli Heinonen, Frida Ehrnsten and Jaakko Tahkokallio presented their research projects.
April 24, 2024
Dies Medievales: Pre-Conference Reception at Topelia
March 6, 2024