PAPER REVOLUTIONS – MANUSCRIPTS AND PRINTED VOLUMES AS IDEOLOGIGAL TOOLS
PAPER REVOLUTIONS – MANUSCRIPTS AND PRINTED VOLUMES AS IDEOLOGIGAL TOOLS
15 NOVEMBER 2021 New Conference Sofia University “St.Kliment Ohridski”
This year the annual conference continues the topic of the previous one about the eventful nature of the book, but this time the emphasis is placed on the history of paper, its distribution and utilization in a period of three centuries from 16th to 19th century. The topic is inspired by the so called “material turn” as approach in cultural and social history, which takes into consideration not only the circulation of ideas between Europe, the Balkans and the world, but also the mobility techniques that convey these ideas, concerning financial aspects and consumption trends. The utilization of the written word, on the other hand, will be regarded in terms of its ideological potential. We are looking for the manuscripts and printed books that made changes in religious doctrines and political regimes. The revolutionary potential of words, that are put on paper can be interpreted in the light of the grand narratives of the Enlightenment – equality, fraternity, liberty, yet it can be found in the usage of vocatives, emotives and imperatives in language. The conference questions also the revolutions that stayed only on paper and did not take place. Today they are hidden in dusty archives or integrated into digital corpuses of data. Retrieving them from the shadow of history can provoke new generations of revolutionaries.
The conference will take place on 15th November 2021 at Sofia University on online depending on the epidemic situation.
- Suggested topics of research include:
- History of paper
- History of printing in Europe and the Balkans
- Religions conflicts
- Secrecy, letters and complots.
- Manuscript volumes – scribes and circulation
- Revolutionary movements in Europe and the Balkans.
- Book circulation – book sellers and book stores
- Printing centers and intellectual circles
- Potential Revolutions that didn’t happen
- Mechanisms for building and deconstructing grand narratives.
Short resume (250 words), titles and bio can be sent to bulgc18@gmail.com until 30 September 2021
