This call for papers goes out to scholars who study unfinished and unpublished encyclopedias, compiled c. 1600–2000.
The history of modern encyclopedias has long been dominated by serial narratives of successful, influential publications. However, if we want to refine our understanding of modern encyclopedism as practice – its varieties, development, motivations, and geographical expansion – best-selling works may not necessarily be the most useful sources. As Richard Yeo has remarked, ‘encyclopedic dreams have almost always outrun achievements’ and throughout history, many ‘large projects were left unfinished, stranded at some volume before the end of the alphabet’. Now, for the first time, this international and interdisciplinary symposium places this category of works and their production histories at the center.
Symposium vid idéhistoria Stockholms universitet, 13-14 september 2018, organiserat av Linn Holmberg (Stockholm) och Maria Simonsen (Ålborg). Deadline för abstracts 1 mars 2018.
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