1st International Egodocumental Network Conference
Vilnius University, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, the University of Lodz, and the Egodocumental Research Group (https://egodocuments.umk.pl) organise an international conference focusing on research, development, and changing perceptions of egodocuments in the twenty-first century. The conference aims to bring together scholars from different disciplines to share their insights and to encourage interdisciplinary studies of egodocuments.
The conference will also be the first meeting of the International Egodocumental Network established in December 2023 by the Egodocumental Research Group (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and the University of Lodz) to unite scholars from different disciplines working on egodocuments. It provides a platform for discussion, collaboration, and exchange of information between the participants, as well as online research seminars organized twice a year. In this dimension, our conference continues two editions of the Scientific Symposium "Egodocuments, Life-Writing and Autobiographical Texts..." organized at NCU in Toruń in 2022 and 2024.
Keynote speakers
Dr. Nataliia Voloshkova
Kazimierz Wielki University and Oxford Brookes University
Prof. Leona Toker
Hebrew University and Shalem Academic College
Prof. François-Joseph Ruggiu
Sorbonne Université, CNRS and Oxford University
Kšištof Tolkačevski
Vilnius University
Between the Gravestone Inscription and the Selfie: Exploring the Boundaries of Egodocumentation
New directions in the study of egodocuments in the 20th and 21st centuries, the emergence of new document types, and the re-evaluation and expansion of the concept of a document itself (Paul Otlet, Suzanne Briet, etc.) force us to rethink the concept of the egodocument.
If we consider the fundamental principle of egodocumentality to be the ego inherent in the document, which consciously or accidentally reveals itself, then even an inscription on a tombstone can be considered an egodocument if we can see the author behind it. The presentation will provide a detailed discussion of cases of epitaph creation where the ‘future deceased’ themselves actively participated in creating the text for their future graves. Furthermore, the presentation will examine the possibility of other document types and genres that have emerged in the 21st century and exist in the digital environment to become egodocuments.
Based on the work of theorists, we will try to answer the following questions: what can generally be considered an egodocument in the 21st century? Where are the boundaries of egodocumentality? Can all types and kinds of documents theoretically become egodocuments? Are the documents that have emerged in the context of the new media (films, selfies, social media posts) also egodocuments?
