Freedom of Conscience in the Pre-Enlightenment (1000-1650)
La liberté de conscience avant le siècle des Lumières (1000-1650)
Publicado quarta-feira, 08 de abril de 2026
Resumo
Freedom of conscience is considered an unalienable right akin to freedoms of expression and speech, as noted in Articles 18 and 19 of the UN Charter. However, if we turn to the Medieval period, and its great diversity of innovative religious writing, it is clear that the mechanics of external oppression upon an individual’s inner life already existed in clear and comprehensible terms. Therefore, the (broad) question we would like to answer is : if we look beyond the eighteenth century, do we see this idea gradually become concrete ?
Anúncio
Argument
This conference seeks to further our understanding of freedom of conscience, a notion all too often associated with the Enlightenment and its legacy in the modern day. With this in mind, we chose to organise this conference to invite perspectives on material well removed from the Revolutionary Age.
Considered by a string of politicians to have heralded the notions of tolérance and laïcité, pillars of the French republican social compact, the 1598 Edict of Nantes brought a close to thirty years of religious conflict characterised by physical and psychological repression. However, despite the rich body of texts this period of civil strife brought about, it is worth noting that the contributions of Étienne Pasquier, Sebastian Castellio, and Philippe Duplessis-Mornay on the inner struggles of the oppressed have only cursorily survived into the modern consciousness, if at all. Likewise, although the decrees of Archbishop Thomas Arundel against Lollardism seem to forewarn the sanguine nature of Tudor religious policy, it is also worth dwelling on the fact that this repressive measure arose from a context in which radically original practices of devotion were flourishing ; particularly in the vernacular, and amongst female religious communities.
We invite contributions from scholars of all disciplines. We particularly want to hear from those who have identified similar anxieties surrounding freedom of conscience in material where it may not be expected, for example in dramatic works, administrative papers, or travel writing. We would also like to emphasise that we want a holistic approach, and so very much encourage contributions from those working on non-European contexts, and those working on colonialism or colonialism-adjacent topics.
Our objective here is not to identify a catch-all definition of freedom of conscience, but rather identify how this oppression takes shape, and how it is either expressed or observed. Given the wide net we’re casting here, we encourage contributors to consider how to best refashion and present their findings to an audience unfamiliar with the subject matter. It is our hope that this gathering will allow us to identify recurring patterns across all historical and geographic contexts. Please consider the following topics :
- The mobility of ideas (including the spoken word, vernacular writing, print culture, the epistolary, manuscripts etc…).
- Social and individual anxieties.
- Religious and/or secular freedom of conscience.
- Freedom of conscience amidst imperialism.
- Freedom of conscience in armed conflict.
- Social structures and social hierarchy.
- Freedom of conscience in relation to gender.
- Material Representation.
Submission guidelines
The conference will take place June 17 in the Faculty of English, University of Cambridge. The conference will be conducted in English, but we very much encourage bilingual presentations. Presentations should last about 15 minutes. A light lunch will be provided. Unfortunately we are unable to offer cover for travel or accommodation expenses.
Please send your proposals (c.250 words) and a brief CV (max 1 page) to Anthony Stonestreet (ams330@cam.ac.uk) and Rachael Hodgson (reh89@cam.ac.uk) before 28 May.
Organising Committee
- Anthony Stonestreet (Homerton College, University of Cambridge) Third year doctoral student affiliated with the Faculty of English, University of Cambridge.
- Rachael Hodgson (Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge) Third year doctoral student affiliated with the Faculty of English, University of Cambridge.
Categorias
- História (Categoria principal)
- Períodos > Época Moderna > Século XVI
- Pensamento, comunicação e arte > Linguagem > Literatura
- Pensamento, comunicação e arte > Religião > Sociologia das religiões
- Períodos > Idade Média > Baixa Idade Média
- Períodos > Época Moderna > Século XVII
- Sociedade > Ciências políticas > Instituições políticas
- Sociedade > Ciências políticas > Guerras, conflitos, violência
Locais
- Faculty of English, 9 West Rd
Cambridge, Reino Unido (CB3 9DP)
Formato do evento
Evento apenas no local
Datas
- quinta-feira, 28 de maio de 2026
Palavras-chave
- freedom of conscience, medieval, early modern, pre-enlightenment, liberté de conscience, médievale, seizième, dix-septième
Contactos
- Anthony Stonestreet
courriel : ams330 [at] cam [dot] ac [dot] uk
Fonte da informação
- Anthony Stonestreet
courriel : ams330 [at] cam [dot] ac [dot] uk
Licença
Este anúncio é licenciado sob os termos Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
Para citar este anúncio
« La liberté de conscience avant le siècle des Lumières (1000-1650) », Chamada de trabalhos, Calenda, Publicado quarta-feira, 08 de abril de 2026, https://doi.org/10.58079/1614d
