The International Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ISECS) is pleased to announce the 2027 International Seminar for Early-Career Eighteenth-Century Scholars. Colleagues from all fields of eighteenth-century studies are invited to submit abstracts for this four-day event that brings together young researchers from several countries each year.
In 2027, the International Seminar will take place in the city of Teruel in the week preceding the ISECS International Congress in Zaragoza. The meeting will be sponsored by Sociedad Española de Estudios del Siglo XVIII (Spanish Society of Eighteenth-Century Studies, SEESXVIII). It will be held from 7 to 10 July 2027 at Campus de Teruel, Universidad de Zaragoza (Street Ciudad Escolar, 4, Teruel) and will be directed by Jesús Astigarraga (University of Zaragoza, Spain), Mónica Bolufer (European University Institute and University of Valencia, Spain) and Alicia C. Montoya (Radboud University, The Netherlands).
Imagen: José Luis Mieza, vía Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Seminar’s theme
Books, Letters and Empires in the Age of Enlightenment.
The Seminar examines the circulation of books and letters at the inter- and trans-imperial levels. In a century that witnessed the expansion and intensification of trade -including the slave trade, maritime connections, movement of people and ideas across the oceans, and ultimately Atlantic revolutions, the Seminar wants to reflect on the effects of those movements, the bonds they nurtured and the critical readings and subversive appropriations they favoured.
By doing so, we want to revisit two classic topics of eighteenth-century studies. After decades of researching book circulation, scholars already know that books did not make revolutions, but we are increasingly aware of how they crossed oceans, created transatlantic reading communities, and often allowed readers to imaginatively envisage new worlds. Besides that, transatlantic letters date back to the process of conquest and colonization and have been edited and studied, mostly notably in the Spanish empire and more recently also for “Atlantic families” in the French and Anglo-American worlds. Large-scale digitization projects of private correspondence have further increased interest in correspondence among ordinary people, beyond the intellectual exchanges uniting the Republic of Letters.
The Seminar wants to foster discussion of how reading, writing, and letter-based communication were at the base of the everyday workings of eighteenth-century empires, while also contributing to questioning and eroding them through critical readings and subversive appropriations.
The Seminar welcomes work from across the full range of disciplines in eighteenth-century studies, using a variety of methods, from literary, historical and philosophical analysis of specific case studies to digital humanities and quantitative approaches to big data, as well as material and visual perspectives.
The possible lines to be explored include, but are not limited to:
- Book circulation and translation across empires as well as marking or bridging internal differences and hierarchies (social, ethnic, educational, religious).
- Censorship and book control.
- Clandestine circulation of books.
- Reading and book-collecting practices: comparative perspectives across linguistic, political, cultural and religious borders.
- Reading and emotions: emotional communities; sentimental genres and styles.
- Orality and the written word: cross influences and hybridities.
- Epistolary communication and networks.
- Letter-writing and the dynamics of social rank, gender, and race.
- Philosophical and literary representations of empires and colonialism, particularly those taking an epistolary form.
Submission of proposals
The seminar is limited to 12 participants. The proposals should be based on an original research project. Preference will be given to scholars at the beginning of their academic career (Pre- or postdoctoral researchers who graduated less than six years ago).
The official languages are French, English, and Spanish. Knowledge of at least two of those languages is required. Applications should include the following information:
- A brief Curriculum Vitae including the date of PhD.
- A list of principal publications and scholarly presentations.
- A brief description of the proposed paper (approx. two pages, single-spaced).
- One confidential letter of recommendation (sent separately by the recommender).
Deadline
The deadline for submission of proposals is 30 September 2026. Applications should be submitted electronically, with the proposal and CV as an attached document, to: earlycareerseminar@isecs-zaragoza2027.net
Lodging and travel
Accomodation costs (at the University residence: Pablo Serrano) will be fully covered by the organisers. Lunch will be served on-site. On July 7th, there will be a bus bringing the participants from the train+bus station of Zaragoza to the venue in Teruel. Participants will receive a partial reimbursement of their documented travel expenses (up to 500,00 euros per person) to facilitate their participation in the Seminar.
Programme
The programme consists of individual paper presentations by the participants and joint discussions. It is complemented by other meetings with the Spanish academic community and cultural excursions. The Mudejar architecture of Teruel has international recognition as part of the Mudejar Architecture of Aragon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Paper presentations
Each of the 12 participants is invited to give a 45/60-minute presentation, followed by 20 minutes for discussion focused on the paper. Powerpoint presentations are welcome. Participants must submit to the organizers an extended draft of their work (3.000-4.000 words) 4-6 weeks in advance of the Seminar. Each participant will also chair another Seminar´s session to consolidate chairing skills.
Publication
The Seminar papers, if they fully comply with the editing guidelines, will be published by Honoré Champion (Paris) in the Lumières internationales series.
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