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
Fryderyk Rozen
Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw
Manuscript Notes in the Early Printed Books as Egodocuments
This presentation aims to analyse handwritten inscriptions in early printed books from 15th and 16th centuries as egodocuments, using selected notes from various historical collections as primary sources. The books examined in the study represented different former libraries of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Provenance research offers extensive information about copies of books containing manuscript annotations. Knowledge about the authors or the context in which these notes were written provides a valuable background for in-depth analysis of these texts.
The concept of egodocuments supports the development of research on handwritten notes and marginalia in books, which, when viewed as egodocuments, enable us to understand various aspects of their authors’ inner world. Such insights carry significance for historians in revealing the perspectives of individuals and deepening our understanding of the human inner reality of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth age.
The handwritten notes reveal the owners’ perspectives on books as valuable items (e.g., notes about the price, ownership inscriptions, and warnings to potential thieves). They shed light on interpersonal relationships and personal identity (e.g., dedications). Comments on the text provide further insight into the reader’s attitude toward the book’s content itself. Collectively, these annotations expand the scope of sources that can be studied as egodocuments.
