Conference of the Helsinki Centre for Intellectual History
15-17 December 2025
University of Helsinki
Intellectual history is not a unified tradition of thought, but a series of interventions on what topics should be studied, which perspective should be deployed and to what end should intellectual history be written. Some interventions harmonize, while others are vehemently opposed to one another. This conference is aimed at discussing the history and current state of the kind of boundary making that is involved in the self-reflexive process of doing intellectual history.
The story of intellectual history is unavoidably a chain of exclusions and inclusions, sometimes based on articulated political beliefs, sometimes unintentional blind spots and sometimes the result of a deliberation among intellectual historians. Past debates include remarks on which topics, thinkers and sources are included or excluded from intellectual history. Gender, ethnicity, language and geographically situated intellectual milieus among other things have all affected whether or not particular intellectuals have been made part of the canon of intellectual history. However, the process of canon making and the inevitable changes in who or what are included in the canon are different in different parts of the world. Ultimately there is no one canon, but rather there have been multiple different canons that do overlap, but also change over time. Canon-making has affected other canons, but so has the critique of canons and the questioning of intellectual traditions.
The canon can then be that of intellectual history, but it can also be about any tradition, question or methodological choice relevant for intellectual history. Wherever intellectual historians make boundaries and define a tradition there is a question of in and out of the canon.
The Helsinki Centre for Intellectual History devotes its 2025 conference to exploring the question of being in and out of the canon of intellectual history. We welcome proposals for panels and individual papers that target the conference theme.
Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
Individual paper proposals should consist of an abstract (c. 300) words), a brief biography (up to 200 words) and full contact information. Papers should be 20 minutes in duration. We also invite proposals for full panels of 4 papers or three papers and a commentator, with the same details and a brief outline of the scope of the panel (150-250 words). In case of a panel submission, each panelist is asked to submit an individual proposal and indicate the name of the panel to ensure the organizers have everyone’s contact details.
The deadline for proposals is end of April 2025. Notification of acceptance will be sent by Wednesday 14 May 2025. Proposals, as well as any inquiries and questions, should be sent through this form.
Accepted participants will be asked to pay a conference fee of 150 euros (75 euros for PhD students). The fee will cover coffee and tea for three days, two lunches and a conference dinner.
The Helsinki Centre for Intellectual History publishes a yearbook with De Gruyter Oldenbourg called Helsinki Yearbook of Intellectual History. A selection of papers will be considered for publication in the Yearbook. In your proposal, please indicate if you are interested in submitting a reworked version of the paper to the Yearbook. Decisions on publication are separate from the conference and are based on rigorous and fast peer review.