Books in Motion in Early Modern Europe. Beyond Production, Circulation and Consumption
28-31 May 2014, Erfurt/Gotha, Germany
This international conference is designed as a reflection on the history of the early modern book in Europe, and aims to open discussion between experts that are working in the interdisciplinary field of book history. The conference will take place in the Gotha Research Centre of the University of Erfurt. This centre houses the rich Research Library, containing one of the most significant collections of early modern books and prints in Germany. The conference is supported by the German Research Association (DFG), Erfurt University and Utrecht University.
As the conference’s title assumes, Books in Motion in Early Modern Europe. Beyond Production, Circulation and Consumption is aimed to focus on all three main research fields of book history: production, circulation and consumption. While providing an opportunity and forum for reviewing current and past developments in these often separated fields, we also set out to highlight the connections between them. To achieve this aim, we will concentrate especially on the interplay between the three stages of early modern book culture, established by the actions and motives of its participants (sociality), the characteristics of the used and produced spaces(spatiality), and the variety of the publications (materiality). To put it differently: the focus lies on the human networks of producing, distributing and consuming; on the interconnectivity of geography, distance and space that shaped early modern production, circulation, and consumption; and on the wide range and function of contemporary published material (in manuscript and print) characterized by aspects of production, circulation and consumption.
The conference program includes the following speakers from 10 different countries: Dr. Giles Bergel (Oxford, United Kingdom); Dr. Jürgen Beyer (Tartu, Estonia); Dr. Stephen Colclough (Bangor, United Kingdom; Prof. Dr. Arjan van Dixhoorn (Gent, Belgium / Utrecht, The Netherlands); Dr. Johannes Frimmel (Munich, Germany); Dr. Esther van Gelder (Utrecht, The Netherlands); Dr. Andreas Golob (Graz, Austria); Dr. Michiel van Groesen (Amsterdam, The Netherlands); Prof. Dr. Adrian Johns (Chicago, USA); Dr. Joop W. Koopmans (Groningen, The Netherlands); Sarah Laseke, M.A. (Oxford, United Kingdom); Dr. Anu Lepp (Tartu, Estonia); Dr. Nelleke Moser (Amsterdam, The Netherlands); Dr. Leigh Penman (Oxford, United Kingdom); Prof. Dr. Joad Raymond (London, United Kingdom); Dr. Benito Rial Costas (Madrid, Spain); Dr. Geoffrey Roper (London, United Kingdom): Dr. Massimo Rospocher (Leeds, United Kingdom); Dr. Orlin Sabev (Sofia, Bulgaria); Dr. Kristii Viiding (Tartu, Estonia); Dr. Malcolm Walsby (Rennes, France); Dr. Daniel Bellingradt (Erfurt, Germany); Dr. Jeroen Salman (Utrecht, The Netherlands).
For further enquiries about the conference please contact the organizers: Daniel Bellingradt (University of Erfurt) and Jeroen Salman (Utrecht University).
The final program of the conference is about to be announced soon.