Art and Memory in Early Modern Europe

Studies of memory have recently become one of the largest fields in the humanities. Its current state which was aptly described as ‘swag bag interdisciplinarity’ reflects the vastness of the subject itself and the methodological pluralism inherent to it.

This conference proposes to explore the culture of commemoration in early modern period as a testimony to the tectonic changes in the social, religious and political life of the period. Memorials and tomb sculptures, as well as portraits, reflected not only the desire of early modern elites to maintain family memory and to highlight their confessional identity but also the emergence of ‘collective memory’ and national identity crystallised and secured in artefacts. During the early modern period, which was marked by political conflicts and upheavals and profound changes in religious culture exemplified by the Reformation, the culture of commemoration including its visual expression changed substantially. While Western European commemorative practices were the focus of several recent edited volumes, the Central and Eastern European culture of commemoration remains rather understudied and leaves us asking about the possible dialogue if not entanglement in the domain of commemoration between Western and East-Central Europe in early modern times.

Therefore, we encourage speakers to answer the following questions:
- How did European Reformation affect East-Central European culture of commemoration?
- What were the artistic exchanges?
- What models were emulated and why?
- How did early modern ‘places of memory’ emerge?

Papers on other topics that keep the focus of the conference are also welcomed.

The proposal for a 20 minutes talk should be a maximum of 250 words, accompanied with a short CV (one page max). Please send proposals to the following email: demchukphil.muni.cz, no later than October 1, 2022.