We invite you to present various approaches towards the use and reuse of pre-industrial paper in the global world.
Possible research questions include, but are not limited to:
- To what uses was paper put, apart from books and manuscripts? What historical sources and artefacts bear witness to such uses?
- Did paper replace other materials or did it create new needs?
- How did the use and reuse of paper spread through our world? How widespread was the use of paper in society? Are there differences of use and reuse with regard to geographical or social aspects?
- When did the reuse of paper start, when did it stop and were there specific events that led to the reuse of paper?
- Does the reuse of handmade paper give us general clues about the age, or ‘life expectancy’ of paper? For how long was paper in circulation?
- What manuscripts and books were prone to be recycled and to contain recycled materials?
- To what new uses was recycled paper put, apart from manuscripts and books?
Topics are not limited to book history, codicology or fragmentology, and suggestions from other disciplines are particularly welcome. We especially encourage scholars, librarians, archivists, conservators and other interested parties from outside Europe to send us an abstract and to attend our colloquium. Please send your abstract no later than on 31st March 2024 to [email protected].