CFP Inheriting Eco. Umberto Eco, the University of Bologna and all the knowledge in the world
Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna 27-29 May 2026 (opens on 26 May) The year 2026 will mark the 10th anniversary of Umberto Eco’s death on 19 February 2016. Ten years during which Eco himself had asked not to organise any conferences about him, so as to better determine and appreciate what to forget, what to keep, and what to build on. Indeed, a decade is an adequate time span to allow culture to fulfil two of its essential functions, adopted by Eco as central themes of his essays: that of filtering knowledge, offering subsequent generations only that which deserves to be remembered, and of opening, or renewing, a text through new interpretations. Two actions that, alone, serve to appreciate what can and must remain. This conference on the 10th anniversary of Eco’s death, which the Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna is promoting through its Centro internazionale di Studi umanistici “Umberto Eco”, aims to make Umberto Eco’s intellectual legacy visible, inviting participants to shape the conference with the ambition of developing a scientific event that is genuinely close to Umberto Eco’s way of thinking. By bringing together scholars in the many fields of knowledge in which Eco worked, the conference aims to bring out Eco’s legacy of thought; the aspects that emerge following the progress and distance brought about by ten years; the elements of thought that are still worthy of attention; and the directions in which these elements can be developed and relaunched today. This conference, therefore, has no set themes or sub-themes for reflection; instead, it makes room for the most important themes to emerge from the papers, debate and work of the scholars summoned to Bologna. In short, the Centro internazionale di Studi umanistici “Umberto Eco” is organising an open work-conference enabling the emergence of new paths of reflection by re-examining and re-filtering Umberto Eco’s immense body of works. The proposals should be structured around six main areas: With these areas in mind, those who identify with one or more of Eco’s ideas will be able to interact and reflect dialogically with the conference’s community of scholars. In doing so, not only will the conference redesign a legacy destined to become ever richer and more open; it will also make it possible to commemorate Eco’s vast intellectual legacy of thought in a non-ceremonial manner, revealing its strength, renewing its interpretation, and creating an occasion that is not merely commemorative or retrospective, but rich in thought, innovation and future. Organisational instructions We invite researchers wishing to participate in the conference to submit their proposal by 30 October 2025. The proposal should include: The official website of the conference, through which proposals can be submitted, will be available from the end of May 2025. The Scientific Committee of the Conference will notify acceptance of the proposal by 30 November 2025. The conference languages are Italian and English. Consequently, the proposal should also be drafted in one of these two languages. The maximum duration of each speech is 20 minutes. Enrolment If the proposal is accepted, its submission requires advance payment of the registration fee. Registration fees Registration includes access to all keynote lectures and all convention and social events organised as part of the conference. More information will be available soon on the official website of the conference: