CFP: Seventh Congress on Polish Studies

Seventh Congress on Polish Studies

full cfp: https://www.polenforschung.de/

The Seventh Congress on Polish Studies, to be held in Potsdam in March 2027, offers academics from all disciplines whose work focuses on Poland a renewed opportunity to present their current research, to network, and to discuss the current state of Poland-related research. The overarching theme of the Potsdam Congress is the future as a challenge for the contemporary and historical present: “What’s Coming. Designing Futures.”

Being optimistic about the future is often difficult today, and not just in Poland: Neighboring Ukraine is afflicted by the terror of years of war, Russia's hybrid warfare threatens Europe’s stability, and climate change is undermining social development forecasts and individual life plans. The concurrence of ecological, demographic, political, and social challenges reveals the vulnerability of social and institutional orders and calls into question certainties previously adhered to. Uncertainty and the intrusion of the catastrophic into the present are impeding political visions of the future, especially the prospect of a “better future.” At the same time, the promise of the technological revolution is as salutary as it is dystopian, making the future even more unpredictable in other ways—but no less so. Nevertheless, envisioning and designing different futures is one of the most important crisis management skills. Thinking in terms of alternatives—be this through utopian impulses such as wishful thinking and dreams or through analytical forecasting or strategic planning—inspires hope, generates (self-)confidence, and creates scope for action.

What is the state of Poland’s thinking about the future? The temporal orientation of Polish culture continues to be markedly influenced by the past: The politics of history plays an extremely important role in everyday political life, retrotopian thinking is gaining ground in the right-wing conservative camp, and a sociopsychological diagnosis of Poland as a “traumaland” (Bilewicz)—albeit one that simultaneously seeks solutions—is garnering a great deal of attention. The ubiquity of the past can be construed as one phenomenon of sociologically diagnosed stagnation in the present (Gumbrecht, Nowotny, Bauman). Today, this “broad present” in Poland (and elsewhere) stands in precarious relation to the necessity, in times of crisis and increased ephemerality of ideas, to venture a long-term perspective and to design possible futures, not least to respond to the younger generations’ natural desire for their future.

What experiences from the past is future-oriented thinking in Poland today able to draw on? What role has the future played in Polish history—from its beginnings to the twentieth century? The Enlightenment reimagined the future, and the struggle for national self-assertion in the nineteenth century also revolved around shaping the future. Moreover, in both 1918 and 1944/45, attempts were made to transform utopian ideas into reality. The emergence of the Solidarność movement in 1980/81famously opened up perspectives on the future, giving rise to great hopes and expectations. Can we still learn something from this Polish experience of widespread solidarity today when, faced with multiple crises and growing inequality, the utopia of solidarity is (once again) being evoked nostalgically in many places? What other laboratories does Polish culture offer, or has it offered, for the future—in political practice, societal coexistence, and imaginatively in literature, art, film, theater, and popular culture? What fears, dreams, and visions of the future did they and do they discuss? How have Polish philosophy, sociology, and economics contributed to thinking about the future? Does the rapidly growing Polish economy care about and worry for the future? What visions of the future are (or have been) possible in Polish politics? What does the future hold for Polish democracy and the rule of law? How was and is the future of Europe perceived in Poland? What practical ways of dealing with uncertainty, risk, and fears about the future have existed and still exist in Polish society? We would welcome analyses and illustrative explorations of future-oriented processes and practices, prospective designs, and visions of the future in Poland’s cultural, social, and political past and present. Issues from all disciplines should be discussed collectively and in transnational or comparative contexts. Last but not least, another focus is the self-conception of the humanities and social sciences in times of uncertainty and fear for the future.

Characterized in its mission statement as “young, modern, future-oriented,” the University of Potsdam is a robust hub of cultural studies research on Poland. The Seventh Congress on Polish Studies in Potsdam provides an opportunity to engage in dialog across disciplinary boundaries and German-speaking countries, to establish and maintain contacts, to develop projects, and to learn about the current state of Polish studies. It follows on from the first six congresses (Darmstadt 2009, Mainz 2011, Giessen 2014, Frankfurt/Oder 2017, Halle 2020, Dresden 2024), each of which was attended by around 300 academics. Exhibitions by publishers and institutions, as well as an accompanying program, complement the congress. The congress languages are German, Polish, or English.

More information can be found here: https://www.polenforschung.de/

(Prolonging of) Call for Abstracts: Conference "Old Ideas in New Minds - Strategies of Autonomy from Antiquity to the Renaissance"

 (Prolonging of) Call for Abstracts: Conference "Old Ideas in New Minds - Strategies of Autonomy from Antiquity to the Renaissance" (Jena, 14-16 September 2026). New deadline: April 15th.

CfP: Old Ideas in New Minds - Strategies of Autonomy from Antiquity to the Renaissance

The Call for Abstracts for the conference "Old Ideas in New Minds - Strategies of Autonomy from Antiquity to the Renaissance", organized by the Graduiertenkolleg 2792 ("Autonomie Heteronomer Texte in Antike und Mittelalter" - FSU Jena) has a new deadline: April 15th, 2026.

NEW Deadline for submissions – 15.04.2026

What happens when existing concepts are applied in new historical, intellectual, or cultural contexts? How does a mere copy become more than a copy? When engaging with ‘pre-texts’ – the source texts used in the composition of new texts – authors employed various adaptive strategies, from faithful translation to wholesale reinterpretation. Different fields had different methods of adapting texts and concepts. For example, while providing a foundation for later texts, pre-texts were often reinterpreted and re-evaluated through commentary (Sorabji 1990), resulting in different and sometimes conflicting interpretations of the same text. Even the simple addition of a preface could significantly influence the reception of a pre-text, and reorganization within manuscripts could create entirely new textual units, thereby leading to recontextualization (Piccione 2003). Through selection, curation, and editing, the successive copying of source texts transformed them into new, autonomous texts (Herzog 1989). Concerning literature, the term wiedererzählen (retelling) has been coined to describe different forms of remodelling a text and to prompt questions about authorship itself (Worstbrock, 1999). While the stories that were retold remained fundamentally similar, the narrative focus, style, and many other aspects changed drastically.

All the above textual strategies have one thing in common: they consciously rely on a pre-text or source. We refer to this phenomenon as heteronomy. Our Research Training Group focuses on heteronomous texts that still are original, autonomous products through their commentary, continuation, compilation, or adaptation. Building on our first international conference, ‘(Re)Create. Towards a Theory of Heteronomous Texts’, we seek to explore the concept of ‘autonomy’ through interdisciplinary examination of texts from various fields of research.

We welcome papers addressing topics such as:

- how heteronomous texts and concepts differ from their sources depending on cultural/historical context,

- how they interpret renowned authors and treat their authority (as well as their own),

- how they developed in the context of their historical intellectual reception and hermeneutic interpretation,

- whether every difference to the original text can be perceived to be an autonomous aspect,

- how to deal with authorship in heteronomous texts,

- how material and aesthetical expressions were used and interpreted.

We invite contributions from (but not limited to) the following fields:

Theology and Biblical Studies, Latin, Middle and Neo Latin Studies, Greek and Byzantine Studies, Syriac Studies, Ancient and Medieval History and Philosophy, German Medieval Studies, and Roman Law.

Proposals may take the form of either:

- a 30-minute presentation followed by 15 minutes of discussion, with the possibility of publication in the conference proceedings, or

- a 10-minute project pitch followed by a short discussion (especially encouraged for early career researchers).

In your abstract (max. 300 words) please specify your chosen presentation format and include, on a separate page, your name, profession, affiliation, short academic CV, and email address or equivalent contact information. Please submit your abstracts to Daniele Bonino and Jonathan Trächtler via email at: oldideasinnewminds@uni-jena.de.

We very much look forward to your proposals and will aim for gender parity in our selection. The language of the conference is English. Reimbursement for hotel and travel costs can be made available.

9th DHST DISSERTATION PRIZE (2027)

 9th DHST DISSERTATION PRIZE (2027)  CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The Division of History of Science and Technology of the International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (DHST/IUHPST) is happy to invite submissions to the 9th DHST Dissertation Prize, which recognizes outstanding doctoral work in the broad field of the history of science and technology.

Established by the DHST General Assembly held during the 22nd International Congress of History of Science in Beijing, 2005, the prize has been awarded every two years since 2013. Up to three prizes and an unspecified number of honorable mentions will be awarded to the authors of doctoral dissertations completed and filed between 16 April 2024 and 15 April 2026.

The competition does not specify categories, but to be considered, submissions must unequivocally relate to the history of science, technology, or medicine. The Prize Committee will employ its best endeavors to ensure the broadest coverage of subjects, geographical areas, time periods, and methodologies, and encourages applications from any country and in any language. To ensure that the Committee appoint expert reviewers, a summary of the dissertation in English in mandatory.

The prize consists of a certificate and an invitation to give a talk in a plenary session of the 28th International Congress of History of Science and Technology, to be held in Paris, in July 2029. Awardees are entitled to the waiver of the Congress registration fee and assistance with accommodation expenses. The winner of a prize whose dissertation engages substantially with Islamic science and culture may additionally be considered for the İhsanoğlu Prize funded by the Turkish Society of History of Science.

PRIZE COMMITTEE: The Committee includes DHST Council members and distinguished subject specialists.

CALENDAR: Exclusively electronic applications open 1 May and close 1 August 2026 (11:59 pm UTC). Announcement of prize winners will be made in early 2027.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: To apply, the following PDF documents must be filed through this online form:

- The full dissertation (submissions in any language are welcome)

- A summary of the dissertation in English (maximum 25 double-spaced pages). There is no template for the summary, but it must contain the title of the dissertation, candidate’s name and current contact information, date of completion/filing of the dissertation, and the doctoral title-granting institution.

Additionally, a recommendation letter (at most 2 pages long) from the PhD supervisor or a PhD committee member assessing the dissertation and its historiographical significance must be sent within the same time frame by email to iuhpstdhst@gmail.com, care of the DHST Secretary-General, with the subject line in the format DHST Prize 2027 - Candidate'sLastName. The letter is confidential and must be sent directly by the signatory.

Call for Papers: Conflict and Cooperation in the History of Cartography during the 20th century

 Call for Papers: Conflict and Cooperation in the History of Cartography during the 20th century. Workshop at the Herder Institute in Marburg/Germany, September 24, 2026

During the 20th century there were many different forms and modes of conflict and cooperation in the fields of cartography and geography. Publishing houses competed with one another to sell their products but sought partners to open up new markets. Surveying agencies advanced the mapping of nation-states and at the same time reached out to colonies, frontiers or “unknown” territories for surveying projects as part of imperial expansion. International conferences and exhibitions acted as turntables and showrooms for ideas and maps, and as arenas for experts to discuss major themes in cartography and geography.

Historians have employed a variety of methods to examine these issues. This is not only a field for the history of cartography but an intersection of many different approaches, such as the history of knowledge, the history of technology and the history of international organisation. In recent years there have been discussions about how to decolonise surveying and mapping, how to integrate the perspectives of non‑Western actors and organisations, how to attend to diverse developments, and how to critique long-established terms (such as “progress” or “accuracy”) as well as the categories and classifications used in 20th-century maps.

The workshop on September24, 2026 in Marburg aims to advance these discussions. We invite scholars to contribute presentations related to at least one of the following topics:

Dimensions of rivalry and cooperation between East and West, and North and South, in the fields of cartography and geography;

Surveying, mapping, map‑publishing and related projects that shed light on the challenges of cross‑border cooperation;

The role of experts, mapping agencies and publishing houses in debates about techniques, procedures, standards and classifications in cartography and geography;

Institutions of cooperation — such as congresses, organisations and committees — that reflect tensions between different regions of the world. 

Please send an abstract (max. 2000 characters) and a short biographical note (max. 500 characters) no later than May 5, 2026 to christian.lotz@herder-institut.de . The workshop will be held at the Herder Institute. The working language is English. 

The workshop is part of the project “The World Map 1:2,500,000 (Karta Mira) as a Vehicle of Socialist Globalization: Potentials and Limits of Scientific Standardization and International Cooperation, 1958–1989”. The project is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG, No. 550 144 086). Thanks to the DFG, we are able to reimburse costs for travel and accommodation.

If you have questions about the workshop or about the Karta Mira project at the Herder Institute, please contact: christian.lotz@herder-institut.de

[Image: Comparability as a goal. Access to the Baltic Sea and access to the Red Sea. Karta Mira / World Map 1:2,500,000, excerpts, sheet 36 (Moscow 1972) and 95 (Sofia 1969). Call number: K 1 II L 210, Kartensammlung Herder-Institut]

Call for Papers - Playing God: Eugenics in Modern History

 Call for Papers - Playing God: Eugenics in Modern History

The scientific conference "Playing God: Eugenics in Modern History" will be held at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk from November 18–20, 2026. Researchers from the fields of history, sociology, philosophy, (bio)ethics, medicine, law, and political science are invited to submit proposals for presentation topics. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2026.

In 2024, the Polish Parliament declared 22 September as the Day of Remembrance for Victims of the Extermination of People with Mental Disorders in Occupied Poland during World War II. On that day in 1939, the first residents of the former psychiatric hospital in Kocborowo near Starogard Gdański were murdered. It was one of a number of centres where, during the German occupation, sick and disabled people were killed, thus fulfilling one of the goals of Nazi Germany's eugenics policy.

The history of modern biological engineering and social control is inextricably linked to the rise of eugenics. This movement stemmed from the seemingly noble aim of “bettering” the human race through selective breeding—a facet of the unprecedented scientific progress of the 19th century. Soon, enthusiasts began advocating for the mobilization of the modern state’s bureaucratic apparatus to turn these theories into practice.

In time, various countries introduced eugenic measures. The tragic pinnacle of this trend was reached in Nazi Germany with Aktion T4—a systematic program of mass murder through involuntary euthanasia, which claimed approximately 300,000 lives. This crime served as a technological and ideological precursor to the Holocaust.

However, eugenics was not a localized phenomenon, nor did it end with the defeat of Nazism in 1945; it was a global movement that permeated medical, legal, and social structures across continents. Many countries maintained eugenic regulations well into the final decades of the 20th century and beyond. This conference aims to examine the multifaceted nature of eugenic thought, from its intellectual origins to its practical, often violent, criminal and tragic applications.

Themes and Topics

We invite scholars from the fields of history, sociology, philosophy, (bio)ethics, medicine, law and political science to submit proposals. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

Sources of Eugenic Thought: On the origins of the “improvement” of the human race.

Intellectual Genealogies: The influence of Social Darwinism and the “science” of heredity.

The T4 Program and Beyond: Analysis of “euthanasia” programs, their victims, and medical ethics in the German Reich (1933–1945).

Global Perspectives: Eugenic legislation and sterilization practices worldwide.

Institutional Eugenics: The role of psychiatric hospitals, laboratories, and welfare systems in promoting “racial hygiene.”

Gender and Eugenics: Control of female reproduction and the concept of “fit” motherhood.

Modern Echoes: The legacy of eugenic thinking in contemporary genetics and bioethics.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit your completed applications forms to: conference2026@muzeum1939.pl . Forms can be retrieved from https://muzeum1939.pl/en/news/playing-god-eugenics-in-modern-history-call-for-papers 

Submission Deadline: 1st June 2026

Notification of Acceptance: 19th June 2026

Organizational Information

The organizers will select the submissions and notify all applicants by 19th June 2026.

Successful applicants will be provided with accommodation covered by the Museum.

Please note that the organizers do not cover travel costs.

Conference proceedings may be recorded.

Małgorzata Małłek-Grabowska, Janusz Małłek, Piotr Paluchowski: Różne oblicza medycyny (zarazy, melancholia, okulistyka i lekarze) [The different faces of medicine (epidemics, melancholy, ophthalmology, and doctors)].

 Małgorzata Małłek-Grabowska, Janusz Małłek, Piotr Paluchowski: Różne oblicza medycyny (zarazy, melancholia, okulistyka i lekarze) [The different faces of medicine (epidemics, melancholy, ophthalmology, and doctors)]. Wydawnictwo UMK 2025. ISBN:978-83-231-6172-1 (Polish, German, English)

Wstęp / 11

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Mikołaj Kopernik jako lekarz / 15

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Nicolaus Copernicus als Medicus / 29

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Dżuma w Norwegii w latach 1349–1350 i jej demograficzne oraz społeczno-gospodarcze konsekwencje / 47

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Jednostka i państwo w konfrontacji z epidemią dżumy w Królewcu i na Mazurach w latach 1709–1711 / 73

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Individuum und Staat im Angesicht der Pestepidemie in Königsberg und Masuren 1709–1711 / 85

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Nataniel Mateusz Wolf (vel Wolff) (1724–1784), lekarz, pionier wariolizacji, pierwotnej formy szczepienia przeciw ospie prawdziwej (czarnej) w Prusach Królewskich / 101

PIOTR PALUCHOWSKI, JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Nathanael Mathaeus von Wolf and Johanna Henrietta Trosiener (Schopenhauer). Variolation in the 18th century on the Polish lands according to the guidelines of a doctor and the memoirs of his patient / 127

 

PIOTR PALUCHOWSKI, JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Nathanael Mathaeus von Wolf i Johanna Henrietta Trosiener (Schopenhauer). Dokonywanie wariolizacji w XVIII w. według wytycznych lekarza we wspomnieniach jego pacjentki / 149 

MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA, JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Epidemia cholery azjatyckiej w Prusach Wschodnich w XIX w. / 167

FRYDERYK HERMANN ARENDT

O epidemii cholery w Kłajpedzie w roku 1831, opracowanie i wstęp Małgorzata Małłek-Grabowska, Janusz Małłek, przekład z języka łacińskiego Tomasz Babnis / 227 

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK, MAŁGORZATA MAŁŁEK-GRABOWSKA

Melancholia księcia pruskiego Albrechta Fryderyka (1553–1618) / 275

LECH BIEGANOWSKI, JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Przyczynek do historii chirurgii okulistycznej w Polsce w XVI w. (Toruńska operacja zaćmy Bartłomieja Płuczki w 1589 r.) / 321

LECH BIEGANOWSKI, JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Bartel Płuczka als Katarakt-operateur in Thorn 1589 / 337

LECH BIEGANOWSKI, JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Nowe przyczynki do historii okularów w Polsce w XVI w. Gdańskie okulary księcia pruskiego Albrechta / 355

LECH BIEGANOWSKI, JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Neue Beiträge zur Geschichte der Brille in Polen. Die Danziger Brille des Herzog Albrechts von Preussen / 371

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

O książce „Zasłużeni lekarze toruńscy we wspomnieniach. Wybrane sylwetki z XIX i XX wieku” / 387

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Wspomnienie o Leszku Bieganowskim / 393

JANUSZ MAŁŁEK

Adam Tybor (1910–1986), lekarz laryngolog. Z galicyjskich Ołpin w lekarski świat / 397

Nota bibliograficzna / 415

Wykaz ilustracji / 419

Indeks osobowy / 423

Alexander Herzen: Past and Thoughts. An Annotated Critical Edition

 Alexander Herzen: Past and Thoughts. An Annotated Critical Edition. Translated by Kathleen F. Parthé, Edited and translated by Robert N. Harris. Harvard University Press 2025.

An annotated translation of Alexander Herzen’s monumental memoir Past and Thoughts—the first new English-language edition in a century—captures the tumultuous life and penetrating cultural and political insights of the writer widely regarded as the founder of Russian socialism.

Isaiah Berlin called Alexander Herzen’s magnum opus, Past and Thoughts, “a literary masterpiece worthy to be placed by the side of the novels of . . . Tolstoy, Turgenev, Dostoevsky.” It was the most influential memoir published in nineteenth-century Russia, and its impact extended far beyond the tsarist era and the empire’s borders, inspiring generations of thinkers, leaders, and dissidents struggling against authoritarian regimes. The first English-language translation in a century, thoroughly annotated with a new introduction, this volume shows why Past and Thoughts is considered a great classic.

Against a dramatic backdrop of war, revolution, and exile, Herzen tells a stirring story of political agitation, marital scandal, betrayal, and despair. Past and Thoughts begins with Napoleon’s invasion of Moscow during Herzen’s infancy, then follows the author’s central role in Russia’s emerging intelligentsia, his imprisonment and exile in the frozen north, his adventures across a mid-century Europe undergoing the turbulence of revolution and unification, and his founding of the first uncensored Russian-language press. We see the Paris revolts of 1848 and the flamboyant swashbucklers of Italy’s Risorgimento through Herzen’s sharp eyes, alongside his bold journalism, which reached both the tsar’s prisoners and the Winter Palace.

This edition restores a key section on the tragic denouement of Herzen’s marriage—omitted from previous abridged versions—and includes notes offering critical insight into Herzen’s historical sketches, travelogues, satire, poetry, philosophical excursions, and polemics. Tolstoy remarked that “Herzen awaits his readers in the future.” A piercing investigation of the human spirit and its enemies, Past and Thoughts is indeed a work for our time.

Reviews

„Past and Thoughts is perhaps the greatest autobiography in Russian literature, a classic worth placing in company with Turgenev, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. This new translation captures, as never before, Herzen’s anecdotal brilliance, wit, and inimitable essayistic style, with its layers of irony on irony.“ – Gary Saul Morson, Northwestern University

„This magnificent exercise in self-writing founded the art of political witnessing for nineteenth-century Russia. At last, Herzen’s acclaimed mega-text receives the critical English edition it deserves, expertly pruning out and eloquently filling in this world for today’s readers.“ – Caryl Emerson, Princeton University

About the Authors

Robert N. Harris specializes in nineteenth-century Russian intellectual history at the University of Oxford. He has lectured at numerous universities, including Barcelona, Cambridge, and LMU Munich.

Kathleen F. Parthé is Professor Emeritus of Russian at the University of Rochester. She is the author of A Herzen Reader, Russian Village Prose, and, with James H. Billington, The Search for a New Russian National Identity.