Periodicals and the World

Since their inception, periodicals have travelled across regions, reporting on local and global events and developments, and shaping public discourse on what constitutes ‘the world’. In recent years, periodical studies have dramatically expanded their geographical focus, increasingly examining transnational and global trajectories. This shift has also redefined the place of ‘Europe’ in the field. Once viewed as the birthplace of the periodical, Europe is now considered just one of many locations where periodicals thrived. The 14th ESPRit conference, held at the Royal Library in Belgium, will explore questions prompted by the concept of ‘world’. It asks how European periodicals viewed the world and how global periodicals viewed Europe across a broad range of periods and genres. Rather than taking these terms for granted, the conference will explicitly question notions of ‘Europe’ and ‘world’. It will consider both the place of the periodical in the world as a physical location and the world of the periodical itself, with its own dynamics and vision.