Capucine Poirier

Please tell us about your research project.

I am a doctoral student in medieval history at Paris-Saclay university, affiliated to UMR n° 7220 ISP (ENS/CNRS). My PhD project focuses on « Proverbs and proverbial culture in continental north-west Europe (XIVth-XVIth century) ». Proverbs are a privileged observatory of medieval mentalities, testifying to representational frameworks and a material and moral culture. They are conveyed by a wide variety of media - tapestries, paintings, live performances, fabliaux, collections of proverbs, banquet entremets, painted house decorations, moral works, didactic works for children, etc. - all of which need to be taken into account to understand the medieval proverbial phenomenon. They are inseparable from their cultural, intellectual and social context. Proverbs are examined as components of complex media devices, conceived as producers of meaning, and in particular of social uses and practices. Related disciplines - art history, literature, philology, linguistics, historical sociolinguistics, sociology, etc. - are used, without replacing the historical approach. The aim is to highlight the potential of the medieval proverbial phenomenon as an object of study.

Could you please tell us a bit more about your scholarship/exchange programme?

I am a resident at the MFO in june 2026, with the support of the Graduate School of Humanities-Heritage Science of Paris-Saclay university. I have been awarded a grant under the ‘Young Researchers’ scheme, which provides funding for PhD students to travel abroad to carry out field research. I am currently in Oxford to consult the Special Collections of the Bodleian Library, which include a wide range of rare medieval manuscripts containing proverbs.

First impressions of Oxford/the University?

As a medievalist, it is a delight to visit one of the older universities in Europe, whose history dates back as far as the 11th century. Parks and gardens, architecture, historical settings, literary heritage, intellectual and cultural effervescence create an unique atmosphere.