Conference “Geography and Migration of Knowledge” – call for papers

The knowledge structures, organizes and allows to grasp the visible and invisible reality. As a specific type of world management relationship, it has common characteristics with power. Thus, it is not without reason that the intensive accumulation of knowledge initiated in the mid-nineteenth century by the Latvian intellectual elite has resulted in a power structure - a nation-state - whose founding act dates back to 1918. As the relations were mutually reinforcing, soon important knowledge institutions were founded in the Republic of Latvia: the National Library and the University, which develop and strengthen the foundations of culture while continuing to accumulate knowledge. The development of education and the definition of its content facilitates search for new models of knowledge and their implementation, including adaptation of already existing models. Migration of knowledge can take the form of communication between two or more people, mutual exchange or unilateral transfer within different groups (social, ethnic, institutional, etc.), as well as displacements of forms or objects not requiring a direct human presence: books, works of art, devices, media, virtual space etc. The spatial nature of knowledge migration encourages reflection on regularities of the geographical distribution of knowledge, its focal points, propagation trends, initiators or mediators of displacement. The objectives of the conference are at least threefold: 1) addressing the specific study of knowledge migration in the geographical area of ​​historical Latvia, notably by updating the interaction between Latvian, German-Baltic and French influenced environment of ideas and knowledge, but also contemporary Latvia, particularly in the context of its European processes; 2) highlighting the importance of books as a foundation material for knowledge migration and allowing to study the specific meaning of other tangible and virtual supports instruments of knowledge; 3) revealing new perspectives of interpreting mobilization of synergies between knowledge agents and diffusion of knowledge in a local environment as well as through cross-border channels.   We offer some study guidelines (not restrictive): - migration of knowledge as a necessity, - knowledge migration: points of departure and arrival, - agents of knowledge and culture, - history/traceability of knowledge transfer, - patterns of spatial migration of knowledge, - knowledge migration from one domain to another, - perception of new knowledge, - private and public libraries: selection criteria, - invisible libraries: funds and lost knowledge, - library and circulation of knowledge, - archives, information and knowledge, - geographical location of knowledge, - knowledge, publishers, readers, - diffusion, distribution, communication channels of knowing, - change of knowledge: transfer and transformation.   The registration form must be completed and sent by March 1, 2019. The confirmation of inclusion in the conference programme will be sent to the author by March 15, 2019. The presentation of each study/report will last a maximum of twenty minutes. A publication of trilingual volume devoted to the conference is planned   Scientific and Organizing Committee Simona Valke, Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia, Māra Grudule, Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia, Mārtiņš Laizāns, Faculty of Human Sciences of the University of Latvia, Anne-Sophie Lelong, Institut français de Lettonie.