Conference CFP: The Uses and Abuses of Civility, 1500-1700

'The Uses and Abuses of Civility, 1500-1700',

26th-27th May 2023, Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

This conference provides an opportunity for scholars to re-examine early modern Europe’s fascination with civil conduct. What actions were performed in the name of civility, and who benefitted from the culture of civility that flourished in early modern Europe? How were codes of manners popularly used to justify the stratification of society within and outside of Europe? What legacy has the genre of conduct literature left behind?

We welcome papers that provide new analyses of:

• The practical application of civil conduct, from the schoolroom, the household, the court, and beyond;
• The circulation, translation, amendment, and critique of concepts of civility;
• The constructive and destructive outcomes of civil behaviour depicted in early modern fictional and non-fictional texts.

Conference Keynote Speakers include:

• Professor Jane Ohlmeyer (Trinity College Dublin)
• Professor Cathy Shrank (University of Sheffield)

Proposals of c.200–300 words should be sent together with a short biography (max. 100 words) to Dr Douglas Clark at the conference email address: civility2023@gmail.com by the 27th January 2023. We welcome paper presentations of 15-20 minutes. We also welcome the submission of papers for 3-person panels, and would gladly discuss alternative forms of contribution/participation. Attendance is free.

• Further details on the conference can be found here: https://earlymoderncivility.com/conference/