Call for Abstracts: The Making of the Humanities II.
Second International Conference on the History of the Humanities.
21-23 October 2010, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

This is the second of a biennially organized conference that brings
together scholars and historians of humanities disciplines to draw the
outlines for a comparative history of the humanities. Although there
exist histories of single humanities disciplines, a comparative history
would satisfy a long-felt need, and fill a conspicuous gap in
intellectual history.

Theme of the Conference
The first highly successful conference, held in 2008, discussed the
early modern period. The theme of this year's meeting is From Early
Modern to Modern Disciplines, focusing on the period 1600-1900. Topics
include all aspects of the history of philology, linguistics, rhetoric,
musicology, literary theory, historiography, art history, archeology and
other humanities disciplines, with an emphasis on their interrelations.
We especially encourage submissions on:

Increasing specialization and institutionalization: How did various
branches of the humanities develop into modern differentiations between
disciplines?

Historization of the humanities: How did the historical approach become
the leading method underlying the humanities -- from philology to
musicology?

Humanities vs sciences: How were the humanities positioned with respect
to other sciences? Was there a continuing search for patterns and 'laws'
in the humanities?

Interaction between regions: What was the impact of the European
humanities on the humanities in China, India and Africa, and vice versa?

Rise of canonical figures and themes: How did individual scholars come
to be identified with their disciplines? How did certain historical
moments or works obtain canonical positions, often in relation to the
ideals of cultural nationalism?

Abstract Submission: Send an abstract of maximally 400 words to:
HistoryHumanitiesgmail.com

Deadline for abstract submissions: 15 June 2010

For more information, see http://www.illc.uva.nl/MakingHumanities/2010

Organization: Rens Bod, Jaap Maat and Thijs Weststeijn (University of
Amsterdam)