Location: German Historical Institute Paris
The workshop for which we are inviting contributions will focus on the role and place of different “publics” in electoral processes in Europe, from the late Middle Ages to the end of the early modern period (15th-18th centuries). It thus aims to bring together two particularly dynamic fields of historiographical research: elections as a means of appointment to public office, and the public sphere considered in its relations to the media and through the question of its politicization. While recent historiography has emphasized the frequency and diversity of elections in the early modern period – from religious communities to merchant corporations, as well as Republics, the papacy and the emperor (or more precisely, the king of the Romans) – the aim will be to examine the different functions of publics – whether voting or non-voting, local or European – and the ways in which they were mobilized. This comparative approach, conducted on a European scale, should make it possible, by focusing on a common, cross-cutting object of study, to highlight the plurality of ways in which publics were addressed, the modalities of their politicization, and possible changes in their functions over the course of the early modern period.
Organisation
Laurent Cuvelier (Tours)
Sébastien Schick (Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, IHMC, IUF)
Christoph Streb (GHIP)
Modalities
When: 3 and 4 June 2027
Languages: English and French
Deadline for submissions: 1 December 2026
Contact: laurent.cuvelier@univ-tours.fr, sebastien.schick@univ-paris1.fr, cstreb@dhi-paris.fr