CfP RSA 2025 in Boston: Paper Speaks (?) Unveiling Religious Conforming & Nonconforming Voices in Early Modern Archives

EMoDiR is an international research group focusing on the history of religious dissent, radicalism, and minorities in early modern times (emodir.hypotheses.org).  ince 2011, the group has organized panels at the RSA annual conferences on practices and conceptual frameworks of religious conflict, heresy, and groups of radical dissent. The panels are characterized by a multiplicity of methodological and theoretical approaches.

For the upcoming RSA Annual Meeting in Boston, scheduled for March 20-22,2025, EMoDiR is inviting contributions for a series of panels focusing on definingorthodoxy and exploring religious dissent(s) and nonconformity. This inquiry willcenter on the analytical and critical examination of archival documents andcollections.

Despite their biased, selective, and often fragmentary nature, archival sources arevital in reconstructing the definition of orthodoxy, uncovering the forms andpractices of dissent, unveiling the blurred boundaries between orthodoxy andnonconformity, and understanding the normative and judicial measures applied tononconforming individuals and groups. These documents offer crucial insights intothe historical complexities of religious adherence and resistance, contributing to adeeper understanding of the nuances of early modern societies.

The planned series of panels is designed to broaden current academic discussions bypromoting a global reevaluation of these aspects, with a special focus on archivalsources and overcoming their inherent limitations. Papers exploring these aspectswithin Christianity (in all its denominations), Judaism, Islam, as well as othercultural and religious contexts are welcome.

We particularly encourage papers based on archival materials addressing:

➢ official regulations and orders issued by religious and secular authorities;

➢ congregations, court proceedings, Inquisition(s) trials, and other legaldocuments related to strategies of oppression, reclusion, censorship, andpunishment of religious crimes;

➢ the fluid lines between orthodoxy and nonconformity, revealing evidence ofcompromise, negotiations, borderline scenarios, and ambiguous identities;

➢ The communication channels, social networks, and interactions amongreligious dissenters, as well as between dissenters and orthodox individuals,emphasizing the blurred boundaries between these groups in early moderneveryday life;

➢ the reception, impact, and censorship of forbidden works and theirtranslations;

➢ the role of gender and sex in the definition of heresy and religiousnonconformity;

➢ interfaith encounters, dialogues, polemics, and conflicts;

➢ digital archives dealing with any of the sources above.

Proposals should be submitted by July 14, 2024, by email to Matteo Al Kalak (matteo.alkalak@unimore.it) and Martina Mampieri (martina.mampieri@gmail.com) with full name, current affiliation, and email address; a paper title (15 words maximum), an abstract (150 words maximum), keywords, Ph.D. completion date, and a brief biographical profile (150 words maximum). Inquiries about the content of the CFP can be directed to the same email addresses.

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