CFP: History of European Universities. Challenges and transformations - 18-20 April, Lisbon - Deadline: December 15, 2010

Dear colleagues:

We call attention to the meeting History of European Universities.
Challenges and transformations, to be held on 18-20 April 2011 at the
University of Lisbon Campus. Joint organization of the University of
Lisbon Centennial and International Commission for the History of
Universities (ICHU)

For further information see
http://centenario.ul.pt/conferencias/history-of-european-universities

Call for papers:

Universities in Portugal have a long history, starting with the
foundation of the University of Lisbon in 1288-90, which was relocated
in Coimbra in 1537. The present organization of the University of
Lisbon dates back to 1911, and is a direct outcome of the institution
of a Republican government in 1910.

Celebrating in 2011 its first centenary, the commemorations of the
reestablishment of the University of Lisbon encompass various
reflections on its history. Among several events, the Executive
Commission for the University’s celebrations, together with the
International Commission for the History of Universities, is
organizing an international conference titled “History of European
Universities. Challenges and transformations,” to be held from 18-20
April 2011, at the University of Lisbon Campus.

Universities have been a typically European institution. Conforming to
changing social, religious, ideological and political conditions, they
played a significant role in virtually all philosophical, religious
and scientific controversies that shaped Western culture. Furthermore,
universities proved instrumental in shaping the profile of many
professions.

Contributions to the history of universities have been often pursued
in the context of cultural history with little interaction with the
history of science, history of education, and science policy. This
conference aims at bridging this gap by inviting reflections within
and across these usually separate domains, and specifically by
promoting discussion on the evolution of scientific disciplines within
universities, the role of locality in discipline formation and
training, and the positioning of universities vis-à-vis the context of
liberal societies in the West. With this rationale in mind, the
following themes would be specifically addressed:

1. circulation and networks of knowledge: disciplinary formation and
identity, interdisciplinary relationships, formation and evolution of
scientific fields.
2. universities in peripheral contexts: specificities of the formation
and structuring of universities in the European periphery; relations
between center and periphery; adaptation of universities to different
local contexts.
3. university training in comparative framework: strategies for the
training of students, role of universities in elite formation,
discussions and policies on higher education.

We would appreciate if you share this information with your colleagues
and other people interested in the subject.

Ana Simoes

On behalf of the Scientific Organizing Committtee and the Local
Organizing Committee