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ArgumentAn omnipresent phenomenon, war was a dominant social fact that impacted every aspect of society in the Middle Ages. Moving away from so-called &#8216;histoire-bataille&#8217; that studied war on its own as an isolated succession of battles, historiography has moved towards investigation of how military conflicts influenced the economic, legal, political, religious, and social spheres in the Middle Ages.After previous meetings held at the University of Leeds in 2016 and the University of Lisbon in 2017, the 2018 edition of the &#8216;Medieval Culture and War Conference&#8217; will take place at the Saint-Louis University, Brussels, and will focus on the theme of &#8216;Power, Authority, and Normativity&#8217;. We particularly welcome papers discussing how medieval warfare, through the organisation, the techniques, and the discourses it mobilised, contributed to shape power and power relationships &#8211; and how these power relations, in turn, could influence the adoption of certain forms of military organisation and techniques of warfare; how it related to the concept of authority; and how it was regulated by changing sets of rules over the period. How did power relationships, ideas about authority, and evolving norms have an impact on medieval warfare in theory and in practice? Interdisciplinary approaches from various theoretical backgrounds (e.g. archaeological, art historical, historical, literary, or sociological perspectives) are encouraged.Subjects may include, but are not limited to:Theory, doctrine, and ideology of warWar, propaganda, and rulershipLaw and legislation on warfareLiterature on war and chivalryChivalric ethos and military disciplineMilitary justice and violenceMilitary organisation, including recruitment, command structures, and logisticsWarfare and religionGender and warFortifications, weaponry, and technologyReal and imagined relations between combatants and non-combatantsConstructions of&#160;&#8216;Others&#8217; and &#8216;Otherness&#8217; in warfareFunding of warfareKeynote lectures&#160;The conference, organised by the Research Centre for the History of Law and Institutions (CRHiDI), will be held at Saint-Louis University, Brussels from 24 to 26 May 2018, and will include two keynote lectures by Justine Firnhaber-Baker (University of St Andrews) and Bertrand Schnerb (Universit&#233; Lille 3).Submission guidelinesA publication of selected proceedings is planned.Please submit an abstract of 250-300 words for a 20 minutes paper, or a proposal for a thematic session of three papers, along with a short biography of no more than 150 words, to brusselscultureandwar@gmail.comby 31 January 2017.Contributions from postgraduates and early career researchers are encouraged. Please note that the working language for the conference is English.Brussels Organisation CommitteeEric Bousmar (Universit&#233; Saint-Louis &#8211; Bruxelles),Michael Depreter (Universit&#233; libre de Bruxelles/Universit&#233; Saint-Louis &#8211; Bruxelles),Philippe Desmette (Universit&#233; Saint-Louis &#8211; Bruxelles),Gilles Lecuppre (Universit&#233; catholique de Louvain),Quentin Verreycken (Universit&#233; catholique de Louvain/Universit&#233; Saint-Louis &#8211; Bruxelles).Leeds Organisation CommitteeSophie Harwood (University of Leeds),Trevor Russell Smith (University of Leeds),Iason-Eleftherios Tzouriadis (University of Leeds).For more information about the Medieval Culture and War Conference, visit our website: cultureandwarconference.wordpress.com/.