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
Rimvydas Laužikas
Vilnius University
Introduction of the Historical Cookbook in the Context of Egodocumental Research: The Case of Jan Szyttler
Jan Szyttler (1778–1850) was the most famous cookmaster of the Romantic period within the cultural space of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Living in Vilnius during the first half of the 19th century, Szyttler authored several popular cookbooks focusing on different audiences, such as professional cooks, rural housewives, hunters, those who sought economical meal preparation, and individuals concerned with a healthy lifestyle. From the perspective of egodocumental research, the introductions to these cookbooks are particularly compelling. In these introductory sections, Szyttler elaborates on his motives for writing to specific audiences and articulates his culinary concepts tailored to meet the needs and interests of each distinct audience. These introductions not only illuminate Jan Szyttler’s values and interests but also serve as a key to understanding his personality.
This conference paper presents an egodocumental analysis of the introductory sections of Szyttler’s cookbooks. The research explores several questions. To what extent can a book’s introduction be considered an egodocumental source? How does this source contribute to the understanding of Szyttler’s personality and study of the gastronomic history of his time? And what is the communicative function of this source, particularly in terms of its semiotic and interpretative characteristics?
