At first glance, the pursuit of fame and the pursuit of scholarship seem to be at odds with one another. Fame seems to belong to the world of artists, musicians, movie stars and football players, easily tempted by the promise of widespread recognition. In contrast, scholars are supposedly so absorbed by their serious, solitary studies that they do not care for fickle, vain fame. Yet, scholars do frequently acquire fame, whether they actively strive for it or not: their intellectual achievements lead to recognition from other scholars and broader audiences alike. How have scholars in the past grappled with these issues? How has fame been evaluated within the realm of scholarship? And how, and why, is fame bestowed on scholars in the first place?
This workshop brings together experts from art history, the history of literature, and the history of science. Together, we will explore what distinguishes scholarly fame from other types of widespread recognition, and trace its development over time.
This workshop is organized in the context of the Van Woudenberg dissertation prize, awarded to Anna Luna Post by the Friends of the KNIR for her dissertation Claiming Fame for Galileo: Reputation and Scholarly Credibility in Early Modern Italy.
Program
10.00 Introduction (Anna-Luna Post)
10.30 Session: Fame in Art and Literature
Gianni Guastella, From Rumour to Glory: The Personification of Fame in the Early Modern Age
Matthijs Jonker, Appropriating Artistic Fame: The Accademia di San Luca, Raphael, and the Nobility of Painting
11.30 Coffee break
12.00 Session: Fame in the Early Modern Scholarly World
Leendert van der Miesen, The Greatest and Smallest Minim: Marin Mersenne (1588–1648) and Fluctuating Fame
Ingrid Rowland, Giordano Bruno, “Proven and Honored Philosopher”
Edurne de Wilde: James Harvey Robinson: A Francis Bacon of the Social Sciences?
13.30 Lunch at the Institute
14.30 Excursion: The Statues of the Villa Borghese and Pincio
Robin Oomkes
