Young Researchers and Innovators (YRI) Summer School 2025: Turning a New Leaf. Unexplored Central-European Bookscapes (1500-1800)

We invite applications to participate in the YRI Summer School 2025; a week-long academic training event dedicated to the vibrant and multifaceted world of early modern print culture and public communication in Central Europe. This Summer School, held in the historically rich city of Cluj-Napoca, Romania between 21 and 25 July 2025, offers an immersive and exploratory experience that seamlessly combines scholastic rigor and the appeal of cultural exploration.

Organized as part of the COST Action CA23137 – PCPSce and hosted by Faculty of History and Philosophy of the Babeș-Bolyai University, the Summer School aims to bring together young researchers (YRIs) and established scholars, offering theoretical training, field visits, and an engaging forum for interdisciplinary dialogue.

The theme of the Summer School Unexplored Central-European Bookscapes is deeply embedded in the research priorities of the two COST Action working groups co-organizing the event: WG4: Materialities and WG5: Texts&Ideas. WG4’s focus on the intermediality of print genres and the socio-economic dimensions of book production in exploring book-related material culture aligns naturally with the Summer School’s training sessions in paper, binding, typography, and provenance research. At the same time, WG5’s interest lies in the emergence and decline of genres, production and circulation/transfer of knowledge, the role of printed books in school and university milieu and translations in printed culture. The school’s emphasis on transitional zones (between manuscript and print, elite and vernacular literacy, private and institutional book ownership, comparison of various cultures and religions) provides fertile ground for a dialogue between material narratives and intellectual discourses, echoing the broader aims of both working groups.

The Summer School will span five days, featuring a structured rhythm designed to stimulate learning and discussion. Mornings will be devoted to training sessions led by experts in their respective fields. In the afternoons, participants will have the oppor-tunity to engage in practical exercises, attend lectures delivered by established schol-ars, present their own projects, or exchange ideas in thematic panels. Guided visits to significant heritage sites in Cluj-Napoca (University Library, Academy Library, and Saint Michael’s Catholic Parish Church collections) will round up the training programme.

Key Facts

Participants: 30 attendees (approx. 70% COST members, ¾ YRIs)

Application Deadline: May 15, 2025

Successful applicants will be contacted by June 6, 2025

No virtual participation possible – on-site only.

For more information, see HERE