CfP “The Long Bohemian Reformation, European Universities, and Scholarly Disputations.”

 CfP for the XV International Symposium on the Bohemian Reformation and Religious Practice: “The Long Bohemian Reformation, European Universities, and Scholarly Disputations.” Prague, 18–19 June 2026,  deadline January 31, 2026.

From the 14th century onward, European universities increasingly became key players in ecclesiastical reform. Academically trained scholars participated in Church councils, shaped theological discourse, and often played central roles in reformist movements. The Bohemian Reformation was deeply embedded in this academic environment—including Jan Hus and Jerome of Prague and later generations within the Unity of the Brethren and the Comenian circle.

For many key figures of the Bohemian Reformation, academic disputation – and the broader tradition of learned argumentation – was central to their intellectual activity. Its influence extended not only beyond the university setting – as in the debates on the Four Articles of Prague at the Council of Basel – but also beyond the Bohemian Reformation itself, as exemplified by the Leipzig Disputation and the Marburg Colloquy.

The symposium aims to investigate the intersections between the Bohemian Reformation and academic institutions, encompassing also its subsequent receptions. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of scholarly disputations and intellectual traditions that contributed to the shaping of reformist thought.

The symposium’s broad scope accommodates both papers focused directly on the Bohemian Reformation as well as contributions in which the Bohemian Reformation forms one part of a larger mosaic.

Suggested topics include but are not limited to:

- Disputations concerning ecclesiastical, reformist, and religious issues related to the Long Bohemian Reformation

- Academic controversies, arguments, and rhetoric surrounding the Long Bohemian Reformation

- Underexplored or little-known textual sources of university and gymnasium origin related to the Long Bohemian Reformation

- Comparative analysis of surviving university and gymnasium manuscripts and prints related to the Long Bohemian Reformation with those from German, French, or British contexts

- Academic texts as sources for writings by reformist figures

- Negative stances toward universities and gymnasia in the writings of representatives of the Long Bohemian Reformation

- The role and manifestations of disputation in promoting reformist ideas within the Bohemian context

- Links of specific universities, academies, gymnasia, and gymnasia illustria to the Bohemian Long Reformation

- The impact of curriculum developments on the Bohemian Reformation (e.g. the influence of Melanchthon’s educational reforms via members of the Unity of the Brethren and Bohemian Protestants who studied in Wittenberg or Geneva)

- The significance of academic education among reformist figures

- Reception of the Bohemian Reformation at universities in the 19th and 20th centuries

- Links between the (Prague) university reform/reformers and other late medieval and early modern reform movements (e.g., monastic movements, lay reform).

Submission Guidelines:

Please send:

- Title and abstract (approximately 200–300 words)

- Institutional affiliation and contact details

to bohemian.reformation@gmail.com by 15 February 2026.

Applicants will be notified of the selection results by the end of February 2026.

Important Information:

Dates of the symposium: 18–19 June 2026

Location: Prague, Czech Republic; Academic Conference Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Husova 4a.

Languages: English, French

Fees: There is no fee for participation in the symposium.

Publication of contributions: A thematic volume based on the symposium is under consideration and depends on the submitted paper proposals. Selected speakers might be invited to submit articles for peer review.

Organisation: Department for the Study of Ancient and Medieval Thought, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Scientific board of the Symposium: Luigi Campi, Petra Mutlová, Petr Pavlas, Ota Pavlíček, Dan Török

Scientific board of the BRRP platform: Eva Doležalová, Michal Van Dussen, Kateřina Horníčková, Peter Morée, Petra Mutlová, Ota Pavlíček, Pavel Soukup, Vladimír Urbánek, Hana Vlhová-Wörner

For further information, please contact bohemian.reformation@gmail.com.

Kontakt

bohemian.reformation@gmail.com