Writing the World: Early Modern Women, Natural Philosophy and Medicine – CALL FOR PAPERS

Date / time: 21 March, All day

Writing the World: Early Modern Women, Natural Philosophy and Medicine - CALL FOR PAPERS

 

Call for Papers, deadline – 21 March 2024

We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for our conference Writing the World: Early Modern Women, Natural Philosophy and Medicine, on Thursday 11th July and Friday 12th July 2024 at the University of York.

How do early modern women writers think with, through and about natural philosophy and medicine in their writing? How do the genres and forms they choose to write in affect their scientific thoughts, ideas and conclusions? What is the value of fiction or literature to natural philosophy and medicine? What role does gender play in natural philosophical or medical discourse and debates? This two-day conference seeks to explore the rich connections and interactions between natural philosophy and medicine, and early modern women’s writing across a range of genres and forms. Keynote speakers include Professor Danielle Clarke (UCD) and Dr Julia Martins (Independent). The conference is kindly supported by the University of York’s Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies (CREMS) and British Society for Literature and Science (BSLS).

We invite proposals for 20-minute papers on women’s writing, natural philosophy, and medicine in the early modern period (broadly conceived). Topics may include but aren’t limited to:

  • How women engaged with natural philosophy/medicine across a range of forms or genres e.g. receipt/recipe books, poetry, diaries, letters, drama, prose etc.
  • Alchemy and the occult.
  • Natural history, including botany, geology and mineralogy.
  • Natural theology.
  • Acoustics, music, and sound.
  • Interconnections between women’s writing, natural philosophy and the wider intellectual culture.

Please send a title, 250-word abstract and 100-word biography to natphilwomenyorkconference@gmail.com by 21 March 2024.

Papers by PGR and ECR are encouraged. We will let participants know if travel bursaries are available in the future.

For more information see www.natphilwomen.wordpress.com