Scientiae 2024

Scientiae 2024

Call for papers

Brussels, 11-14 June



We are delighted to present the Call for Papers for the 11th annual meeting of Scientiae, which will take place in Brussels, with support of the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB), the ERC-funded project VERITRACE, and the FWO/FRS-FNRS funded RENEW18 project. The conference committee is led by Prof. Cornelis J. Schilt (VUB), and includes Prof. Steffen Ducheyne (VUB) and Eleonora Sammarchi (ETH, Zürich). As always, we accept proposals on all topics related to the 1400-1800 period, with an interdisciplinary focus and the view of generating a global investigation of knowledge-making.

This year, we envision a significant cluster of papers on the theme “The Twilight of the Gods,” which addresses the process in which from a relatively isolated Europe, Asia, and the Americas, the world became global. In the European heartland, religions are vying for power, the sun and earth are at the center of major controversies, authority is waning. The old gods are dying - or are they? Whilst some discard everything old in search for more of the new, others hark back to bygone antiquities, real and imagined. Scientific and religious institutes reinvent themselves - some slowly, others rapidly - and adapt to new realities. It is the twilight of the gods, yet new light dawns on the horizon.

Moreover, we also specifically seek contributions that critically examine our methodology and historiography of the period, for example, but not limited to, how nineteenth- and twentieth-century perspectives have shaped our understanding - or lack thereof - of the past, and how modern-day categories and terminologies have helped or hampered our discussions of particular historiographical concepts.

For Scientiae2024: Brussels, we are very proud to announce two keynote addresses by Steven Vanden Broecke (Ghent) and Sietske Fransen (Bibliotheca Hertziana, Max Planck Institute for Art History, Rome) as well as plenary VERITRACE and RENEW-18 panels.


We invite contributions with the following formats:

- Individual, 20-minute papers: Please submit a descriptive title, 200-word abstract, and one-page CV.

- Complete 90-minute panels: Same as above for each paper, plus 200-word rationale for the panel. Maximum of three presenters (or two plus respondent) plus chair.

- Round tables (90-minutes), consisting of up to five participants plus chair, ideally discussing one of the key themes of the conference as outlined above. NB round table participants can also partake in a panel or present an individual paper!

- Workshops or seminars: One-page CV for each session leader, plus 200-word plan explaining the topic's suitability, and its techniques or resources.


Submit your proposal online before January 15th, 2024, at http://scientiaeacademic.com. There will be no extension of this deadline.