Discover women’s agency in the history of the book
Description
An intensive 5-day programme on the meaning of gender and gender identity as a relevant methodological framework in book history from the 16th to the 21st century. You will immerse yourself in books made by or for women, focusing on research questions, sources and methods. Most lectures are conceived as interactive sessions, often starting from specific cases presented in Antwerp’s rich heritage institutions.
Target group: Master students, PhD students and postdocs intending to integrate book historical approaches into their research and/or with a special interest in the role of women in European cultural history.
Program
Women have always been active in the European book business, although less visible than their male counterparts. During this international summer school we will address how female authorship took shape. We will investigate how women contributed to the printing and selling of books. We will also discuss which books were favored by female readers, and how publishers responded to these specific preferences (if any).
Experts from multiple backgrounds will analyze and explain the meaning of gender and gender identity as a relevant methodological framework in book history, both in the early modern period and in more recent centuries, when the industrial revolution profoundly changed the production of books.
You will immerse yourself in books made by or for women, focusing on research questions, sources and methods. Most lectures are conceived as interactive sessions, often starting from specific cases presented in Antwerp’s rich heritage institutions. In an unparalleled private collection, you will experience what it meant to operate different printing presses before and after the industrial revolution. On the last day, you will meet a contemporary (female) author of illustrated children’s books.
Remarks
3 or 6 ECTS credits can be awarded. Successful completion of the programme and the writing of a paper can be awarded with 3 ECTS credits. 3 additional ECTS credits can be earned during a five-day internship at the University Library.
Partners: Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library Antwerp, Museum Plantin-Moretus Antwerp, Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL)
