CfP: Maps, Mapping, Place, and Space in the Early Modern World (Sixteenth Century Society)
This panel seeks papers that address any aspect of mapping the early modern world (ca. 1450-1750) for the Sixteenth Century Society’s annual conference in Portland, Oregon (October 30 – November 1, 2025). In his seminal Representing Place: Landscape Painting and Maps, philosopher Edward Casey juxtaposes the geometry of space with the phenomenology of place. In this analysis, he laments the loss of a sense of place in modernity. How might the study of early modern maps, mapping technologies, and other renderings of place (literary; visual; religious; secular; legal; real; imagined) further complicate our assumptions about early modern space? The panel welcomes papers from scholars of all disciplinary backgrounds, as the question at hand fundamentally transcends conventional scholarly boundaries.
Please send a paper abstract (250 words maximum) and short bio to Hayley Cotter (hcotter@umass.edu) by April 10, 2025.
Please note that the submission of a proposal constitutes a commitment to in-person attendance. Presenters must hold membership in the Sixteenth Century Society by the time of the conference.