The EMoDiR Blog

The Society for Renaissance Studies organised four panels at the English Shared Futures conference, which ran from 5th – 7th July 2017 in Newcastle. This conference was the first of its kind in the UK, drawing together researchers and teachers of English: it was organised by the English Association, University English and the National Association of Writers in Education, with the support of the Institute of English Studies and the Higher Education Academy. The SRS was one of several learned societies to be at the conference and, with the British Shakespeare Association, demonstrated how wide-ranging and far-reaching the study of Renaissance literature is in the UK. English is the biggest subject area in the Arts and Humanities in Higher Education and it is broad: not only encompassing language, creative writing and over a thousand years of literature, English also draws from other disciplines in its critical approaches. In bringing together for the first time the entire discipline, English Shared Futures enabled delegates to learn about areas of the subject that they might not ordinarily engage with, and to also discuss how we teach, research and take the subject beyond the lecture hall and seminar room.

SRS chair, Andrew Hadfield (Sussex), with Kathryn Hughes (UEA) and Martin Stannard (Leicester), formed the first plenary panel on Biography. This panel questioned how we understand the genre; Hadfield’s closing remarks drew attention to the need to have biographies of a range of figures, and not just the ‘big names’. Such comments chime with trends in Renaissance studies, where research into the everyday and popular culture has unearthed the complex relationship that the Renaissance has with its past and its future: this demonstrates the need to be sensitive to the sociopolitical and anthropological concerns that often underpin our understanding of the Renaissance. These more general concerns fed in to the four SRS panels at the conference, which were round tables on public engagement, teaching non-canonical texts, new technologies and diversity in the classroom, and future directions.

Chatham Historic Dockyard, University of Kent (Medway Campus)

This conference brings together travel literature and trading companies by exploring how the various European companies collected, created, curated, protected and utilised material relating to travel and discovery around the world. The exploration of travel literature across its myriad forms has greatly stimulated the ways we understand the global history of the early modern world. Yet, in spite of the great array of recent studies in this field, there has been only limited engagement with the place of travel literature within histories of one of the key protagonists of overseas trade, cross-cultural exchange, and empire – the trading company. From the sixteenth to the early nineteenth century, European trading companies traversed the globe in search for goods, profit, and knowledge. The overseas experiences of many travellers were published upon their return to Europe, either privately or by their employer. Even so, the vast bulk of descriptions streaming into company headquarters was never published and remains a largely untapped resource.

Set in the historic environment of the University of Kent’s Medway campus, the Hakluyt Society Symposium 2017 joins together senior experts and early career researchers to engage in cross-disciplinary conversation. Confirmed speakers include Prof Jyotsna Singh (Michigan State University), Prof. Michiel van Groesen (Leiden University), Prof Margaret Hunt (Uppsala University), Dr Djoeke van Netten (University of Amsterdam) and Prof. Anne Goldgar (King’s College London). A full programme for the event can be found here. In line with the core activity of the Hakluyt Society, the symposium will also include an editorial workshop focused on editing and publishing scholarly editions of travel literature.

http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/shaps/news/international-graduate-scholarship-opportunities-in-history-at-the-university-of-melbourne

The History Discipline in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne is offering Scholarships for international graduate students for commencement in 2018.

Universitätsbibliothek (UB) der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) erhält Fördermittel aus dem Sonderprogramm der Bundesregierung zum Erhalt des schriftlichen Kulturerbes

The Department of Art & Art History at Stanford University invites applications for the position of assistant professor, tenure-track, in Renaissance and/or Western Medieval art history.  The appointment is expected to begin on September 1, 2018. Recent recipients of the Ph.D. and candidates who will have received their Ph.D. by the time of appointment are invited to apply. Teaching experience at the university level and a record of scholarly publications are highly desirable.

Cambridge, Churchill College

The Conference is generously supported by the Classical Association, the Institute of Classical Studies and

the Society for Renaissance Studies.

2.00 pm, Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BS (opposite the Royal Albert Hall. Nearest tube: South Kensington).