1st International Egodocumental Network Conference
Vilnius University, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, the University of Lodz, and the Egodocumental Research Group (https://egodocuments.umk.pl) organise an international conference focusing on research, development, and changing perceptions of egodocuments in the twenty-first century. The conference aims to bring together scholars from different disciplines to share their insights and to encourage interdisciplinary studies of egodocuments.
The conference will also be the first meeting of the International Egodocumental Network established in December 2023 by the Egodocumental Research Group (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and the University of Lodz) to unite scholars from different disciplines working on egodocuments. It provides a platform for discussion, collaboration, and exchange of information between the participants, as well as online research seminars organized twice a year. In this dimension, our conference continues two editions of the Scientific Symposium "Egodocuments, Life-Writing and Autobiographical Texts..." organized at NCU in Toruń in 2022 and 2024.
Keynote speakers
Dr. Nataliia Voloshkova
Kazimierz Wielki University and Oxford Brookes University
Prof. Leona Toker
Hebrew University and Shalem Academic College
Prof. François-Joseph Ruggiu
Sorbonne Université, CNRS and Oxford University
Matas Grubliauskas
Vilnius University Library
Vade mecum: Between Commonplace Compendium and Egodocument
The content-based analysis of the notebooks, commonly referred to as Vade mecum, serves several purposes. First, it allows for the reconstruction of the predominant topics within these notebooks, thereby facilitating the recognition of Vade mecum as a distinct genre. Second, it reveals how the attributes of these notebooks are influenced by their owners. The primary content of Vade mecum notebooks consists of inscriptions and records of commonplace knowledge, which were intended to aid in the memorization of relevant and useful information for both professional and everyday life. The universal themes addressed in these notebooks suggest that they may have had multiple owners and could have been passed from one individual to another, resulting in an expansion of their content. Furthermore, the inscriptions left by their owners provide insights into their identities as individuals, representatives of their social strata, and members of a political community. Consequently, Vade mecum notebooks can be regarded as egodocuments from which one can reconstruct biographical details of their owners, including their interests and perspectives in various fields such as profession, politics, and philosophy.
