Call for Papers for Panel at Society of Renaissance 11th Biennial Conference

Bristol, July 2, 2025 - July 5, 2025

Rethinking ‘self’ and ‘community’: Early Modern Identities in Times of Changes

The early modern period marked a dynamic moment in history when changes, such as social and political shifts, religious reforms, and cultural encounters, prompted a rethinking of collective identities. In Europe, for example, the French Huguenots sought to reestablish their religious identity after fleeing from Catholic persecution during the Counter-Reformation, while Spanish colonisation in the Americas reshaped the cultural identity of the indigenous peoples. How were the identities of communities constructed and transformed? Who and what shaped those identities? How did individuals make sense of who they were?

For the Society of Renaissance Studies Biennial Conference 2025 in Bristol, we are seeking papers for a panel, which centres on the dynamic identities of individuals and communities during upheavals and moments of change in the early modern period. Aiming to engender an interdisciplinary dialogue with case studies drawn from various global contexts, the panel will examine how the cultural exchanges and mobility of individuals challenged, reinforced and redefined identities and the way they connected with their communities. Potential topics may include:

·  Formation, destruction, and transformation of political, religious, familial, racial, and gender identities

·  Challenging definitions and classifications of identities and communities

·  Role of the community in shaping individual identity

·  Transregional circulation and trade of artworks, objects and materials

·  Identities of travellers, artisans and others involved in transcultural exchanges

·  Migrants, refugees, and individuals under colonisation

·  Social hierarchies

·  Conflict and cohesion between different communities

·  Ideas of ‘self’ and ‘otherness’

Please submit an abstract (150-200 words) for papers of 15-20 minutes and a short bio (100 words) to Fiona Sit (F.Sit@leeds.ac.uk) and Giulia Zanon (giulia.zanon@unive.it) by 15th September 2024. Notification of acceptance will be sent by 23rd September.