International Conference
Joachim Lelewel and the Past, Present State, and Future of Historical Auxiliary Sciences
Date of event: 16-17 June 2022.
Location: The Lithuanian Institute of History, Vilnius, Tilto g. 17, Main Hall
Call for papers
In 2022, we will celebrate the bicentenary of the publication in Vilnius of the book Nauki dające poznawać źródła historyczne (Sciences which allow for understanding historical sources) by Joachim Lelewel, a central personality in the history of Lithuanian and Polish scholarly exploration of history in the first half of the 19th century. To commemorate this event, on 16-17th June 2022, a conference will be held at the Lithuanian Institute of History in Vilnius entitled Joachim Lelewel and the Past, Present State, and Future of Historical Auxiliary Sciences. This symposium will attempt to present the scholarly activities of J. Lelewel in their European context, his originality and the novelty of his conception of auxiliary historical disciplines, the state of research concerning his person, as well as new discoveries of source materials.
Lelewel has attracted the attention of historians for many years. His life, subsequent phases in his learned activity, and his scholarly output have been studied in detail. Considerable time and effort have been devoted to archival studies, and numerous materials have been discovered. Researchers have attempted also to disclose his role in the development of the concept of historical auxiliary sciences, in particular in the context of German academe of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The bicentenary of Lelewel᾿s book is an appropriate moment to return to study of his life and achievements. The Organizing Committee of the conference would like concentrate on to two themes, viz.: the source materials which constitute the foundations of research on the great historian, including new findings in this field which could broaden the scope of our knowledge concerning Lelewel – we have reasons to believe that not everything has been revealed and brought to light. The organizers are also convinced that much can also be added to discussion of the historical background of his life and activities. The second general theme is envisaged as the opening of a broader discussion concerning the auxiliary disciplines of history and their development in Central and Eastern Europe in the past and their future aims. This discussion should go beyond matters Lelewelian and encompass wider perspectives. An additional attraction that will provide opportunities for interesting reflections is the foreseen opening of an exhibition at the Wróblewski Library that will be devoted to medieval and early modern notarial marks.
The Organization Committee proposes the following subject groups for conference papers:
1. Lelewel: person and scholar in his social and professional milieu,
2. Source materials for research on J. Lelewel,
3. Lelewel in historical research,
4. Lelewel᾿s conception of historical auxiliary disciplines: novelty or conservatism in the European context,
5. The present state of, and scholarly perspectives for historical auxiliary disciplines.
The conference will conclude with a “round table” plenary discussion of selected scholars devoted to the present condition and the perspectives of historical auxiliary disciplines.
Two types of presentations are invited: regular papers (30 minutes) and short communiqués (20 minutes).
Conference languages: Lithuanian, Polish, and English.
The conference will be held in the Lithuanian and Polish languages, with simultaneous translation. Papers may be delivered in English too.
The papers presented will be published in a special volume which should sum up research on Lelewel to date. The formation of a special team of scholars is foreseen to prepare an inventory of published and unpublished source materials relative to Lelewel.
Guided tours will be offered:
- to the exhibition of notarial marks,
- in the footsteps of Lelewel in Vilnius (the house he lived in; the auditorium he lectured in; the location of the publishing house that issued his textbook; the J. Lelewel Hall, etc.).
Persons wishing to participate are kindly requested to submit paper titles with short abstracts (ca. 259 words) to: https://forms.gle/j3NVKPtGsFr2PDzT6
The deadline for submissions is 31 December 2021. The Organizational Committee will contact the authors by 15 February 2022.
No conference fee is foreseen.
Contact: lelewelconference2022
Organizational committee:
- Dr Rūta Čapaitė, Lithuanian Institute of History
- Dr Loreta Skurvydaitė, Faculty of History, University of Vilnius
- Dr Rima Cicėnienė, Wróblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
- Prof. Dr Jacek Soszyński, L. & A. Birkenmajer Institute for the History of Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences
- Prof. Dr Jerzy Kaliszuk, L. & A. Birkenmajer Institute for the History of Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences
- Agnieszka Fabiańska, MA, University of Warsaw Library
- Dr Agnieszka Fluda-Krokos, Library of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow
- Prof. Dr Janusz Pezda, The Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University in Cracow
- Prof. Dr Iwona Pugacewicz, Centre for Polish Culture in Paris – Sorbonne Université
Lithuanian Institute of History
Faculty of History, University of Vilnius
Wróblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
L. & A. Birkenmajer Institute for the History of Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences
The Committee on History of Science and Technology, Polish Academy of Sciences
University of Warsaw Library
Scientific Library of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow
The Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University in Cracow
Centre for Polish Culture in Paris – Sorbonne Université
