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Call for Papers Prosopography – Approaches, Texts and Technologies
Call for PapersProsopography – Approaches, Texts and TechnologiesInternational Conference24–25 September 2026Atrium of ZRC SAZU, Ljubljana, SloveniaDear colleagues,On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Institute of Cultural History, we are pleased to announce the international conference Prosopography – Approaches, Texts and Technologies, to be held on 24–25 September 2026 at the Atrium of ZRC SAZU in Ljubljana. The conference is co-organised in collaboration with the International Society for Cultural History.Prosopography has long evolved beyond the compilation of collective biographies into a powerful analytical approach for reconstructing social structures, intellectual networks, institutional histories, and cultural patterns across time. Bringing together historical scholarship, philology, and digital methodologies, this conference seeks to explore the conceptual foundations, textual practices, and technological frameworks that shape contemporary prosopographical research.The chronological scope of the conference is intentionally open and not time-limited.Thematic PanelsThe conference will include (but is not limited to) the following panels:1. Greco-Roman Antiquity(Homer to Late Antiquity)Prosopographical approaches to ancient literary, epigraphic, and documentary sources; elite networks; civic, imperial, and intellectual communities.2. Medieval WorldsProsopography in manuscript cultures; ecclesiastical, courtly, and urban networks; collective biography and institutional memory.3. (Early) Modern ContextsHumanist networks; (scholarly) correspondences; confessional and political structures; the transformation of communities.4. Between Art and Lived ExperienceIntersections between artistic expression and lived experence; the ways in which aesthetic practices and forms of expression can illuminate the prosopographical dimensions of a given society.5. Methodological Approaches to ProsopographyTheoretical foundations; collective biography as analytical method; quantitative and qualitative models; source criticism; limits and potentials of prosopographical research.6. Digital Prosopography: Databases, Linked Open Data, and Semantic ModellingDigital infrastructures for prosopographical research; relational databases; Linked Open Data; CIDOC CRM and other ontological frameworks; interoperability; visualization and network analysis; long-term sustainability of prosopographical datasets.We particularly welcome interdisciplinary contributions that connect textual scholarship with digital humanities approaches.Submission GuidelinesPlease submit:A paper titleAn abstract of 300–500 wordsA short biographical note (max. 100 words) Submission deadline: 15 June 2026Conference language: EnglishProposals should be submitted via Google FormsNotification of acceptance will be sent by 30 June 2026.PublicationA selection of revised papers will be considered for publication in a peer-reviewed special issue dedicated to the conference theme.We warmly invite scholars from all relevant disciplines to join us in Ljubljana to reflect on the past, present, and future of prosopography at the intersection of approaches, texts, and technologies.On behalf of the organizing committee,Gregor PobežinInstitute of Cultural HistoryZRC SAZU
