On 24 March, ICCEMS hosted a reception at the 2024 conference of the Renaissance Society of America in Chicago. Prof. Rosalind Smith (ANU) and Prof. Lorna Hutson (Oxford) welcomed representatives of international early modern studies centres to introduce ICCEMS and seek new partnerships. The event was a resounding success, and ICCEMS will welcome several new partners in 2025: FISIER, The Folger Shakespeare Library, Harvard Early Modern World, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Early Modern Studies and the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies at Victoria University, University of Toronto.
FISIER (Fédération Internationale des Sociétés et Instituts pour l’Étude de la Renaissance) is an international collective of early modern organisations from across Europe, the USA, Canada and the UK. FISIER aims to support studies on the Renaissance period internationally by promoting exchanges between learned societies and research centres around the world, coordinating international meetings, and supporting collective projects. See more about FISIER here.
The Folger Shakespeare Library is an international centre for Shakespeare scholarship and the study of the early modern period. The library, located on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest Shakespeare collection and is also a primary repository for materials from early modern Europe and Britain. The Folger’s mission is to make its collection accessible, and to advance understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare’s writings and the culture of the early modern world. In addition to advancing early modern scholarship through fellowships, seminars, publications, lectures, and partnerships, the Folger also leads Shakespeare education in schools and engages the public via a professional theater, exhibitions, lectures, concerts, family programs and podcasts. See more about the Folger Shakespeare Library here.
Early Modern World at Harvard is a multi-disciplinary group composed of faculty, graduate students, and visiting researchers who study the historical traditions of early modernity across the globe. EMW serves scholars, librarians, archivists, curators, and digital specialists working across departments and units, recognizing shared goals and fostering opportunities for collaboration in research, teaching, and public engagement. See more about EMW here.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Early Modern Studies is a group of faculty and graduate students who work across a wide range of disciplines with a special focus on the early modern period. UW-Madison CEMS aims to encourage innovative research and foster lively dialogue and debate across a wide range of disciplines, and to investigate the interconnectedness of different cultures and societies in the Early Modern world. Read more about UW-Madison CEMS here.
The Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies (CRRS) at Victoria University in the University of Toronto is a research and teaching centre with a library devoted to the study of the period from approximately 1350 to 1700. There are approximately eighty full-time faculty at the University of Toronto who study aspects of early modern culture in a wide variety of disciplines; the CRRS encourages contact with professors and graduate students through a yearly series of workshops, distinguished visiting speakers, and international conferences. Read more about the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies here.
We look forward to exciting engagements with our wonderful new partners in 2025!