Religious transformations in the Middle Ages: towards a new archaeological agenda

The study of religious change in Europe between the collapse of the Roman Empire and the Reformation forms one of the cornerstones of medieval archaeology but has been riven by period, denominational and geographical divisions. This paper lays the groundwork for a fundamental rethink of archaeological approaches to medieval religions, by adopting a holistic framework that places Christian, pagan, Islamic and Jewish case studies of religious transformation in a long-term, comparative perspective. Focused around the analytical themes of ‘hybridity and resilience’ and ‘tempo and trajectories’, our approach shifts attention away from the singularities of national narratives of religious conversion towards a deeper understanding of how religious beliefs, practices and identity were renegotiated by medieval people in their daily lives

Dendritic cells in cancer immunology and immunotherapy

Dendritic cells (DCs) are a diverse group of specialized antigen-presenting cells with key roles in the initiation and regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses. As such, there is currently much interest in modulating DC function to improve cancer immunotherapy. Many strategies have been developed to target DCs in cancer, such as the administration of antigens with immunomodulators that mobilize and activate endogenous DCs, as well as the generation of DC-based vaccines. A better understanding of the diversity and functions of DC subsets and of how these are shaped by the tumour microenvironment could lead to improved therapies for cancer. Here we will outline how different DC subsets influence immunity and tolerance in cancer settings and discuss the implications for both established cancer treatments and novel immunotherapy strategies.S.K.W. is supported by a European Molecular Biology Organization Long- Term Fellowship (grant ALTF 438– 2016) and a CNIC–International Postdoctoral Program Fellowship (grant 17230–2016). F.J.C. is the recipient of a PhD ‘La Caixa’ fellowship. Work in the D.S. laboratory is funded by the CNIC, by the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant 2016 725091), by the European Commission (635122-PROCROP H2020), by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación e Universidades (MCNU), Agencia Estatal de Investigación and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (SAF2016-79040-R), by the Comunidad de Madrid (B2017/BMD-3733 Immunothercan- CM), by FIS- Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MCNU and FEDER (RD16/0015/0018-REEM), by Acteria Foundation, by Atresmedia (Constantes y Vitales prize) and by Fundació La Marató de TV3 (201723). The CNIC is supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, the MCNU and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence (SEV-2015-0505).S

The Archaeology of Al-Andalus: Past, Present and Future

[EN] THIS PAPER PRESENTS AN OVERVIEW of the archaeology of al-Andalus (the Arabic name for Islamic Spain and Portugal), from its beginnings in the late 1970s to the present day. Innovative approaches and challenging theoretical stances made the archaeology of al-Andalus the spearhead of medieval archaeology in Iberia between the 1980s and 1990s. A problematic, and often conflicting, relationship between archaeology and history has characterised medieval archaeology in Spain since its inception, however, and a new awareness of these problems is emerging. This paper reviews past and current attitudes to such challenges and reflects on the future needs of the discipline. It also reflects on the politics of archaeolog y and on the role of medieval archaeology in revealing social change, which has until now been underrated.[FR] Cet article fait un tour d’horizon de l’archéologie d’al-Andalus (nom arabe donné à l’Espagne et au Portugal islamiques), depuis ses prémices à la fin des années 1970 jusqu’à nos jours. Des approches innovantes et des positions théoriques controversées ont fait de l’archéologie d’al-Andalus le fer de lance de l’archéologie médiévale entre 1980 et 1990. Or, un rapport problématique et souvent conflictuel entre archéologie et histoire a caractérisé l’archéologie médiévale en Espagne depuis ses débuts, et une nouvelle sensibilisation à ces problèmes est en train d’émerger. Ce papier examine quelles attitudes passées et présentes ont permis de faire face à ces défis et réfléchit aux besoins futurs de la discipline. Il réfléchit également aux liens entre la politique et l’archéologie et au rôle jusqu’à présent sous-estimé de l’archéologie médiévale, qui permet de révéler l’évolution sociale.[DE] Dieser Artikel bietet einen Überblick über die Archäologie von al-Andalus (arabischer Name für das islamische Spanien und Portugal) von ihren Anfängen in den späten 1970er Jahren bis heute. Innovative Ansätze und anspruchsvolle theoretische Positionen machten die Archäologie von al-Andalus zwischen den 1980er und 1990er Jahren zum Vorreiter der Archäologie des Mittelalters. Eine problematische und oft konfliktreiche Beziehung zwischen Archäologie und Geschichte ist jedoch seit ihren Anfängen ebenfalls charakteristisch für die Archäologie des Mittelalters in Spanien, und es entsteht gerade ein neues Bewusstsein für diese Probleme. Dieser Artikel überprüft vergangene und gegenwärtige Einstellungen zu solchen Herausforderungen und überdenkt die zukünftigen Bedürfnisse dieser Disziplin. Er überdenkt auch die Politik der Archäologie und die Rolle der Archäologie des Mittelalters bei der Aufdeckung sozialen Wandels, die bisher unterschätzt wurde.[IT] Questo studio presenta una panoramica dell’archeologia di al-Andalus (nome arabo della penisola iberica musulmana), a partire dai suoi inizi verso la fine degli anni ‘70 del secolo scorso fino a oggi. Nel decennio tra il 1980 e il 1990 l’archeologia di al-Andalus si era conquistata un posto di avanguardia nell’archeologia medievale per i suoi approcci innovativi e per gli orientamenti teorici. Fin dagli inizi l’archeologia medievale in Spagna è stata caratterizzata dal rapporto problematico e spesso conflittuale tra archeologia e storia, tuttavia sta emergendo una nuova consapevolezza di questi problemi. Questa pubblicazione passa in rassegna gli atteggiamenti passati e presenti di fronte a tali sfide e riflette sulle esigenze di questa disciplina in futuro. Riflette inoltre sulle politiche dell’archeologia e sul ruolo che l’archeologia medievale riveste nel portare a conoscenza i cambiamenti sociali, ruolo che finora è stato sottovalutato.Peer reviewe