Both in our time and in the past, death was one of the most important aspects of anyone’s life. The early modern period saw drastic changes in rites of death, burials and commemoration. The Reformation, European expansion, scientific advances and changes in public health and hygiene all contributed to the changing ways in which men and women in this period experienced death.
This international and interdisciplinary conference, organized by Benedikt Brunner and Martin Christ from the University of Erfurt, expands the scholarship on death by focusing on perhaps the most important period connected to death: the last moments of life. By focusing on this particular moment in a range of European countries and their colonies, the conference investigates how men and women prepared for their death, how friends and family experienced the death of a person and what an early modern deathbed looked like. While the conference investigates the last moments in a bedchamber, it also contrasts them with extreme situations, such as the moments before an execution or prolonged deaths because of serious diseases.
The conference seeks to combine insights from history, art history, theology and other disciplines in order to shed light on this crucial moment in a person’s life. It considers the whole early modern period in order to trace changes over a long period of time and investigates different national, regional and local contexts to enable meaningful comparisons.
Also Cornelia Richter PI of TP 0 and 2 gives a talk on "Integration of Negativity. Resilient Trajectories in the Face of Death".
For further Information about the program and lectures use this link: Link
Registration is still possible until 25 August. All information on registration can be found on thehomepage of the university of Erfurt: Link