Intermediality in medieval Iberian manuscript cultures: methodological reflections on ongoing and future research

ABSTRACT This introductory article offers an in-depth discussion of the special issue’s overall theme, as well as summaries of the individual contributions and a reflection on how digital tools are reshaping research. The first section covers the recent flourishing of large-scale digitization projects along with advances in material sciences and in a range of scholarly disciplines including paleography and codicology, art history, musicology, literary studies, and conservation and restoration, all of which have explored previously unimaginable possibilities for the study of medieval manuscripts. The second section focuses on the articles gathered for the special issue: those helping to create a theoretical framework, those presenting the results of recent projects, and a group of case studies that reveal how scholars are gradually adopting digital technologies and material studies as essential research tools. The third and final section suggests new avenues of investigation and methodological approaches to promote and improve our current understanding of Iberian manuscript materiality.