THE TWENTIETH ANNUAL DEBARTOLO CONFERENCE ON
EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY STUDIES
THE BOOK
February 16-18, 2006 Tampa, Florida
With the 20th Anniversary in 2006 the DeBartolo Conference on Eighteenth-century Studies will reach the conclusion of its long, successful run. Our finale celebration will feature keynote lectures by distinguished scholars Robert C. Darnton, Margaret J.M. Ezell, and David D. Hall. Other honored participants include Paula Backscheider, Alistair Duckworth, J. Paul Hunter, Jessica Munns, James Raven, and Pat Rogers.
Papers are invited on THE BOOK. From l’histoire du livre to un objet d’art, this conference will examine current research on eighteenth-century books. What role does the book play in the development of civilized culture, in the enlightenment, in revolution? What do specific books mean within this historical context? How has print technology affected the meaning of the book? Is the scholarly community’s renewed interest in bibliography and print culture a sign of the changing value of the book in society today? The book serves as a site for the cross-section of many topical interests, obviously including physical bibliography and print history, print culture, scholarly editing, book collecting, library and museum history, and reading and reception. We are also interested in the wider implications of the topic, including influential books, anomalous books, illustrations and book-making, adaptations from books, technology and the future of the book, alternatives to the book, literacy, literary studies, education through books, books as inheritance, censorship, the cultural power of books, codification of law as book, and the various ways in which these histories overlap. We want to represent a broad range of scholarship and to stimulate conversation on the figurative and literal, historical and aesthetic, practical and philosophical matters of the book.
The DeBartolo Conference is devoted to the interdisciplinary treatment of a theme in eighteenth-century studies. It follows a single-session, discussion-oriented format; consequently we are interested in scholars who are willing to share their research and to participate in the ongoing discussion. We invite single presentation abstracts or complete panels with individual abstracts for each paper. Abstracts should be approximately 500 words in length; in addition to the abstract, we ask that individuals include the following: an e-mail address, as well as a snail mail address, at which they may be reached during the fall of 2005; any expected audio-visual needs (including special software needs); and academic affiliation (if applicable). In honor of the anniversary, revised essays from the conference may be considered for publication in a volume.
Due date for submissions: September 30, 2005
Dr. Laura Runge, DeBartolo Conference Director
Department of English, University of South Florida
4202 E. Fowler Avenue, CPR 107
Tampa, FL 33620-5550
Fax: (813) 974-2270
Email: runge@chuma1.cas.usf.edu
Visit the website at http://www.cas.usf.edu/english/debartolo
