Making Things Meaningful in Early Modern Europe
Sixteenth Century Society Conference,
Chicago, October 29-31, 2026
Panel Field: Bodies, Nature, Knowledge (formerly History of Science & Medicine)
The organisers are welcoming abstracts for 20-minute papers that explore the ways in which social interactions, encounters, and negotiations shaped the meaning and/or power of things in early modern Europe and beyond. In recent years, pathbreaking studies in the field of material culture studies has shown how the material qualities and affective properties of things and materials (including exotica, naturalia, and materia medica) played an active role in shaping how substances and objects were perceived, classified, used, manipulated, and invested with meaning by early modern contemporaries. The proposed panel wants to further complement these approaches by exploring how such affective properties were discussed, contested, or reinforced in interpersonal relations and exchanges. By doing so, the panel proposes to provide new insight into the ways in which single individuals, families, and intersectional groups within larger communities encountered, thought about, and dealt with the properties and qualities of early modern things and materials. We particularly welcome papers from early-career scholars (including graduate students and independent scholars) on topics that may include (but are not limited to):
- Matter, objects, and materials in the (Global) Reformation era
- Materia medica and thaumaturgic objects in medical and scientific life
- Spatial and urban histories of things
- Histories of emotions
- Histories of gender
- History of religion and Christianity
- History of literature studies
The panel proposes to bring together early-career researchers from different disciplines (History, History of Science and Medicine, Art History, Museum and Collection Studies, Theology, Conservation, etc.) whose research in early modern material culture touches such questions in different and complementary ways. If you are interested in applying, please submit a short abstract (max. 200-250 words), a provisional title, and bio (max. 100 words) ideally by April 10, 2026, to one of the organisers. Decisions will be communicated on April 13, 2026. Please note that all conference participants must register for the conference and become members of the Sixteenth Century Society.
We are in the process of applying for funding to (partially) subside the panel but cannot guarantee any financial support. For informal funding enquiries, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the organisers.
Organisers: Dr Andreas Berger, Dr Lavinia Gambini (lavinia.gambini@unibe.ch)