Ijsewijn Lecture and Laboratorium on the study of Neo-Latin by Ellen Werner
On 23rd and 24th May 2024, I was able to attend the second Ijsewijn Lecture and Laboratorium on the study of Neo-Latin hosted by KU Leuven in Leuven, Belgium. The event consisted of a lecture and reception on the evening of day one, followed by presentations on day two.
The format of the event was specifically designed to bring younger scholars of Neo-Latin into conversation with more established academics in the field, and the evening lecture and reception already provided a good opportunity for me to meet researchers studying a broad range of aspects of Neo-Latin.
The presentations on the following day really impressed me. As only ten speakers were selected and we had been asked to pre-circulate some of our materials and discussion questions, the discussion sessions following the papers were in-depth and conducted on a high level, but in a friendly atmosphere, which I really enjoyed. It was fascinating to see the different topics the other speakers presented on, and some of the things I learned will definitely have an impact on my own research. The conference has also made clear to me the sheer amount of Neo-Latin literature that has not or hardly been studied – this has inspired me to look further into possible future research opportunities in relation to early modern Latin.
The Laboratorium also included nine excellent student presentations by Neo-Latin students from KU Leuven. These five-minute talks gave me a good insight into the type of research that interests students who are just beginning to make contact with this topic, as well as what directions will be relevant to Neo-Latin research in the future.
Throughout the whole event, in discussions and presentations as well as the social elements of the conference, it was lovely to see how international and multilingual the field is. Since my own presentation was concerned with multilingualism, this felt very fitting and reminded me of the value of an international academic culture that embraces as wide a range of cultures and languages as possible.
All in all, the Ijsewijn Lecture and Laboratorium was a fantastic opportunity for me that I thoroughly enjoyed. I hope to participate again in coming years, and to stay in touch with the Seminarium Philologiae Humanisticae in Leuven.
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