Erasmus Center for Early Modern Studies
The Erasmus Center for Early Modern Studies is a joint initiative by the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) and Rotterdam City Library. Established in 2005, the Erasmus Center aims at opening up channels of communication between the public and academia, university and city, history and the present, and between Erasmus, his books and kindred spirits.
Center of Excellence
The Erasmus Center for Early Modern Studies amasses the expertise on the early modern era possessed by the Faculties of History and Arts, Law, and Philosophy. The subject of enquiry is the way in which between c. 1450 and c. 1750 — from Erasmus to Bayle — individual, community, and government in the Netherlands and Europe evolved, and how their relations to one another were viewed. A particular area of concentration is the development of the ideas, opinions, and theories of prominent persons, and their influence on shifting outlooks on the public and private domains. By consolidating such scholarship, the Erasmus Center is boosting research on the early modern period conducted by leading international scholars at the EUR. The Erasmus Center is thus giving greater international exposure to such research and the teaching based on it.
International Cooperation
The Erasmus Center seeks out international cooperation for its research activities. Such cooperation takes the form of periodic conferences, which give rise to English-language publications on its research program. Planned to take place between 2005 and 2008 are three international symposia on Accountable Government and Good Governance in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe. In December 2006, we hosted the Pierre Bayle Tercentenary Conference.
Master’s Degree
The Erasmus Center is developing a Master’s Degree in Research. It also organizes its own monthly research seminar at which an expert speaks on a theme relating to the early modern age. Speakers to date include Jonathan Israel (Princeton), Istvan Hont (Cambridge), Heinz Schilling (Humboldt), Glenn Burgess (Hull), and Steven Nadler (Madison).
More information
Website Erasmus Center for Early Modern Studies
