Between Tradition and Innovation: Universities as Places of Knowledge from the Middle Ages to the Foundations of Modern Knowledge Societies

The conference Between Tradition and Innovation: Universities as Places of Knowledge from the Middle Ages to the Foundations of Modern Knowledge Societies, organised by the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Atelier Héloïse, will take place on 13 and 14 November 2025 at the Academic Conference Centre (Husova 4a, 110 00 Praha 1). 

Universities have always been central hubs of knowledge production, dissemination, and transformation. From their emergence as scholastic institutions in the Middle Ages, they have constantly navigated the tension between tradition and innovation. In this dynamic process of continuity and change, universities have played a crucial role in shaping intellectual progress while simultaneously being influenced by profound social, political, and technological transformations.

A particular emphasis is placed on European universities in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, epochs of profound transformation that laid the foundations for modern knowledge societies. Also welcome are contributions dealing with later periods.

The Atelier Héloïse Workshop in Prague explores the challenges universities face as actors in knowledge spaces, situated at the intersection of tradition and innovation. The focus lies on understanding the factors that have shaped universities as centres of intellectual exchange, institutional adaptation, and global networking. The workshop examines how universities and their members have responded to external challenges and opportunities, whether through successful adaptation or failed strategies.

Incorporating insights from digital history, the workshop also aims to explore how new digital tools and methods can deepen our understanding of the historical development of universities and their impact on knowledge societies.

Among other things, contributions are welcome dealing with:

1. Universities as centres of knowledge (intellectual practices, knowledge production, changes in the structure of knowledge, the ways of communicating knowledge to students, developing methodologies)
2. Universities within social, political, and technological transformations and their reaction to these processes (successful or failed adaptations, the causes of both these phenomena, etc.)  
3. Ways of knowledge dissemination and circulation (literary production, other types of dissemination via various media, correspondence, etc.)

If you are interested in participating in the event, please submit a paper proposal in English by 15th May 2025 to cisar-brown@hiu.cas.cz. Your submission should include a 300–500 word abstract and a brief CV (maximum one page); you will be notified about the result by the end of June. The conference will be in English. The organising committee reserves the right to select papers.

Selected papers may be considered for publication in an edited volume.

We look forward to your submissions and an engaging discussion on the historical trajectories of universities as knowledge spaces!