(image source: St Andrews)
Proposals for papers (max. 20 minutes) are invited on the subject of ‘Legal Use of Print in Early Modern Europe: Function, Materiality and Circulation’ to be presented at the combined 19th USTC/St Andrews Book History & 3rd COMLAWEU conference in St Andrews. The conference will feature hybrid sessions on Tuesday 15 June 2027 and in-person sessions on Thursday 17-Saturday 19 June 2027.
In the early modern period, legal communication stood at the heart of European print culture. In sheer quantity of production, only works of religion can be judged to be more numerous. While legal works (similar to religious print) reached a broad public, legal print has received comparatively little attention in book historical studies.
This conference seeks to advance the scholarly agenda by examining the manner in which print culture affected the communication of law in early modern Europe. It will aim to determine how print was used to shape the function, materiality and circulation of legal knowledge; to what extent print established new norms of legal communication; and how printed legal information spread within and beyond the juridical profession. We welcome contributions on any part of early modern Europe or its colonies, within the time frame of c. 1450-1800.
Papers are invited on any aspect of the conference, which will seek to provide answers to (among others) the following questions:
- How did the form and function of legal print develop and change in early modern Europe? Did print introduce new means of legal communication?
- How was print employed in the administration of government, justice and tax?
- To what uses was print put in the legal profession?
- Where, how and amongst whom did legal printed matter circulate more broadly? To what extent was legal print distributed for free, or commercialised?
- How did the materiality of legal print (in regard to production, design and compilation) affect its use? To what extent did the genre encourage manuscript interaction?
- What was the role of early modern collectors, printers and publishers in assembling legal compendia, and to what extent did such compendia shape legal knowledge?
Papers presented at the conference will form the basis of an edited volume to be published in Brill’s Library of the Written Word series.
Proposals, with a title, an abstract of up to 350 words, and a biography of up to 150 words, should be addressed to the organisers, Arthur der Weduwen, Demi van Breukelen and Zina Gharakhani, by 1 December 2026. Proposals should also indicate whether speakers wish to be considered exclusively for the hybrid or in-person sessions, or whether they are happy to present at either.
The organisers can be reached at adw7@st-andrews.ac.uk, dvb3@st-andrews.ac.uk and zzg1@st-andrews.ac.uk.
