INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
Nov. 11–12, 2026
PROGRAM

The Circulation of Books: Production, Dissemination, and Reception—15th–19th Centuries

The book, as a fundamental cultural object for the circulation of ideas and the construction of identities, has a complex trajectory that involves historical, social, cultural, educational, political and technological dimensions. Publishing practice itself, understood as the set of decisions that shape the form, content and circulation of works, plays a decisive role in this trajectory, influencing what is published, how it is published, who it is published for and who can access knowledge. Libraries, responsible for gathering, preserving and disseminating knowledge, have also changed over the centuries, facing practices of control and censorship that have marked their collections.

This congress aims to create a space for reflection and debate on the multiple dimensions of books, publishing and libraries, bringing together researchers and professionals from the fields of History, Literature, Information Science and Philosophy, among others.

Inspired by the “circuits of communication”, a concept proposed by Robert Darnton, the event focuses on analyzing the stages that make up the life of the book, from creation to reception, including authors, publishers, printers, distributors, booksellers and readers, as well as the social, economic, political and intellectual conditioning factors that have shaped both production, circulation and ways of reading.

Keynote speaker

Prof. Antonio Castillo Gómez (Universidad de Alcalá)

Organization

André Pequeno dos Santos (CITCEM Doctoral Fellow)

Hugo Ribeiro da Silva (Integrated Researcher at CITCEM)

Program Now Available (NEW)

Venues: Casa dos Livros and FLUP, Meeting Room 1