Diplomats, Agents, Adventurers and Spies, 1500-1700: A Conference

The Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (University of Kent) and the Centre for Editing Lives and Letters (QMUL) are pleased to co-sponsor a 3-day conference to be held at the University of Kent on 17-19th September 2008. We invite speakers from across the disciplines to consider early modern agency and the transfer of knowledge between states, agents, travellers and spies in the period 1500-1700. Whilst recent scholarship in this area has focussed on early modern interactions and questions of policy, polity and politics, the negotiations and encounters of intelligencers, diplomats and spies remain relatively unexplored. Considering the relationship between agents and information we seek to address some of the following questions: how did intelligencers retrieve, transmit, and present information? What was the value of this information and how was it received? How were networks of influence constructed and maintained?

We welcome proposals for papers of 20 minutes. Speakers are invited to consider, but are not confined to, the following areas of interest:

* Spies, Intelligence and Information-gathering
* Diplomacy and Embassy
* Protocol and Spectacle
* Travel, navigation and the transmission of information
* Intelligence materials, e.g. letters/maps/objects
* Patronage and Agency
* Networks of influence

Confirmed speakers include:

William Sherman, Alan Stewart, Jerry Brotton, Peter Barber, Gerald MacLean, Hugh Adlington, Chloe Houston, Nadine Akkerman.

Please send proposals of 300-500 words by 30th April 2008 to Dr Rosanna Cox (School of English, University of Kent): R.Cox@kent.ac.uk and Dr Robyn Adams (Centre for Editing Lives and Letters, Queen Mary, University of London): r.adams@qmul.ac.uk.

Website: http://ww.livesandletters.ac.uk/events/2008/09/17/diplomats-agents-adventurers-and-spies-1500-1700-conference