‘Past and Present’ Cluster of Vere Gordon Childe Centre
The University of Sydney
Friday 27 February 2026, 9-4pm
Org.: Dr Hélène Sirantoine (School of Humanities, The University of Sydney), Dr Gaëlle Bosseman (Tempora-Laboratoire de sciences historiques, Université Rennes 2)
The History of knowledge is a long-established field of scholarly inquiry. In recent years, however, increasing attention has been paid to investigate mechanisms, intermediaries and pathways for the transmission and transfer of information, wisdom, experience or expertise across historical societies, groups or individuals. At the heart of such research, the concept of circulation allows to examine both the trajectories of knowledge in its various contexts, and the cultural, scientific and intellectual choices made by given environments or societies. Yet, scholars frequently encounter a lack of direct evidence necessary to reconstruct these pathways and networks of knowledge transmission, therefore hypothesised through circumstantial indicators, but not fully documented. What to do when confronted with such gaps in the evidence? How to deal with broken chains of transmission? This workshop seeks to precisely reflect on these questions. By focusing on the methodological challenges posed by broken or elusive routes of knowledge transmission, it aims to foster dialogue among specialists from diverse backgrounds and expertise in order to compare approaches and questions.
This investigation was initiated by Dr Gaëlle Bosseman and Dr Hélène Sirantoine on the specific milieux of the Middle Ages which they specialise on. However, the methodological problem at the centre of this inquiry transcends temporal, geographical and disciplinary boundaries. By inviting collaborative reflection among scholars from a range of disciplines, this workshop aims to enrich approaches to the complexities of knowledge circulation in an interdisciplinary, trans-period and trans-cultural perspective.
We welcome propositions for 15-minute presentations focused on a specific example or case-study to be shared with the reflection group. If interested, please send an abstract (150-250 words) by Friday 19 December to [email protected] and [email protected]
Note that this is planned as a hybrid event (Sydney time), to allow the participation of overseas colleagues. While we favour in-person participation for local colleagues, please let us know if this is not an option for you.