In Janauary of 1996, the Stanford University Seminar on Enlightenment and
Revolution will host a major international conference on the subject of
"Description in the Age of Reason." Pleanary speakers for this conference
already include David Wellbery, Barbara Stafford, Londa Schiebinger,
Lorraine Daston, Elaine Scarry, Wolfgang Ernst, Jurgen Trabant, Anthony
Vidler, and Mary Poovey and still other noted scholars may be added to the
schedule in the coming
months.
As part of the conference, four panel discussions will be held focusing on
specific aspects of Enlightenment description. These panels are especially
intended as a forum for younger scholars (recent PhD's and junior faculty
in particular) to exchange recent work with the other participants at the
conference. I am organizing one such panel with Keith M. Baker entitled
"Describing Knowledge: Enlightenment Dictionaries and Encyclopedias." The
purpose of this panel is to consider the role of dictionaries,
encyclopedias and other authoritative compendia of knowledge as
institutions of Enlightenment. Our goal is to use this session as an
opportunity to raise interpretive questions about the importance of
Enlightenment compendia in the creation of modern regimes of description.
As a result, we are trying not to be overly restrictive in suggesting paper
topics. Rather, it is hoped that panelists will direct their papers toward
some particular issue relevant to this topic (an analysis of a single work,
perhaps, or a discussion of a particular facet of Enlightenment
encyclopedic practice more generally, to offer but two possibilities) while
using their talk to try and elicit discussion about this question more
generally. The panel will consist of three members and a chair, and we are
asking each participant to speak for roughly fifteen minutes leaving more
than an hour for general discussion. Full papers will be submitted and
circulated in advance to allow for the richest possible discussion.
Those interested in presenting papers at this conference should prepare a
ONE PAGE ABSTRACT of the paper they plan to present and send it to me in
care of the "SER Description Conference" at the address below NO LATER THAN
JULY 17, 1995. Submissions by Fax and e-mail (also at the addresses below)
are also acceptable. Please include a CV of NO MORE THAN TWO PAGES with
your abstract. Decisions will be announced no later than September 1, 1995.
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J.B. Shank
Stanford Humanities Center
Mariposa House
Stanford, CA 94305-8630
Office: 415-725-1974
Fax: 415-723-1895
Home: 415-852-9621
jabes@leland.stanford.edu
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