16 May 2024
The praise for the La Pira team at the end of the Thirteenth Annual REFORC Conference today was more than deserved, as this team under the guidance of Gianmarco Braghi took care of amazing hospitality and constant friendliness.
This praise indicated the end of the Annual REFORC Conference, but that was only after a full morning – once again – of very good papers. The encounter aspect was underlined by one of the senior scholars saying he had learned so much because of topics and papers outside of his own field of research. REFORC obviously succeeded in bringing this variety of disciplines together and arranging the exchange, but it was this international large group of enthusiastic scholars that made it into a success. Of course, webinars and online-lectures can be helpful but nothing beats meeting each other in person, which is especially helpful and even essential for younger scholars. The chance to receive feedback, to meet others and to learn from others proved to be so valuable.
Palermo was the place for the start and the renewal of continuing encounters!
It was somewhat special to hear a few days for the feast of Pentecost a plenary speaker on Antitrinitarians, but what Réka Újlaki-Nagy (Research Center for the Humanities, Budapest) presented was a feast also. Once again all participants were made aware of the richness of unknown or even undiscovered sources in Eastern Europe and Réka’s presentation makes us curious to hear more from these sources at next conferences.
Such a next conference is the Fourteenth Annual REFORC Conference on Early Modern Christianity to be held in Vienna, May 22 – May 24, 2025, and hosted by Central European University. Martin Pjecha invited us to come, but for many this invitation was not really needed. Encounters like the one we had at the wonderful La Pira Library in Palermo smoothly result in making plans for next year.
Arrivederci Palermo! Willkommen in Wien!
