Negotiating the Past in Early Modern Rome – Summer School

What is the Negotiating the Past in Early Modern Rome – Summer School?
The Summer School is organized by the British School at Rome and the Academia Belgica and coordinated by Marc Laureys (University of Bonn) and Raphaële Mouren (British School at Rome).

The guiding concept throughout the program will be the interaction and competition between classical, sacred (i.e. early Christian) and modern Rome in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. How are these different historical and spatial layers, sometimes overlapping, often competing with each other, shaped and perceived in contemporary texts and images? How are these different components of the legacy of Rome configured in ever varying settings in the urban space?

The Summer School will focus on the scholarly and artistic processes underlying the fashioning of a historical identity for early modern Rome, both in its urban fabric and institutions and in the textual and visual evidence that reflects them. Particular attention will be paid to the factors that contributed to the city’s ‘theatricality’, often seen as a defining characteristic of Baroque Rome and celebrated, for example, in Giovanni Battista Falda’s Nuovo teatro delle fabriche et edificii in prospettiva di Roma moderna, 4 vol., Rome 1665–1699), but also arguably a relevant notion for other periods in the history of the city.

The programme will be equally divided between:

• thematic walks focussed on Pope Alexander VII and on the Via papalis; and on-site visits, including the Capitol and historical libraries in the city

• in-house seminar sessions devoted to early modern books on Rome (Rome guides, antiquarian treatises, travel accounts), historical maps and other visual documentation, such as vedute and sketchbooks.

The in-house seminar sessions will take place at the BSR, where we will engage with the rich resources of the Thomas Ashby Collection, including rare books, engravings, maps, and prints.

Group assignments, centring on specific places, buildings, monuments or objects, and their role and function in the intellectual, cultural and artistic landscape of early modern Rome will be distributed ahead of time. These assignments will be discussed during the in-house seminar sessions. Their topics will be defined in light of the skills and interests of the participants during an online meeting to be scheduled in advance of the course.

This course is aimed at doctoral students or early post-docs in early modern history, literary history and art history. The working language will be English.

When is it?
The workshop will take place between 8 to 15 September 2025 at the British School at Rome, in Rome. Accommodation of the participants will be shared between the British School at Rome and the Academia Belgica.

What does it cost?
The cost of participation is 950 EUR per person. This amount will cover accommodation and meals for five nights (board includes breakfast and dinner, starting with dinner on Monday evening, at the BSR) as well as course materials, bus tickets within Rome and entrance tickets for the sites visited.

The financial support that we are able to offer for this Summer School is limited to 2 bursaries:

• The BSR Bursary will cover the fee for 1 participant

• The SRS Bursary will cover travel costs of up to £200 for a student registered at a UK or Irish university.

How do I apply?
Participation will be limited to a maximum of 12 doctoral students or early post-docs in early modern history, literary history and art history. To facilitate interdisciplinary exchange, we will strive for equal representation across disciplines. Candidates will be selected based on a CV and a letter of motivation.

Candidates are requested to send their CV (max. 2 pages) and a letter of motivation, in a single PDF file, to the two coordinators: Marc Laureys and Raphaële Mouren.
The deadline for submitting applications is: Monday 3 February 2025, 17.00 CET.

Click here to download the full description of the Summer School