Scholarly Citation & Intellectual Practice: Conference 2026
Reims, France – An international conference exploring the multifaceted role of citation in scholarly work is scheduled to grab place at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne on May 28th and 29th, 2026. The event, titled “Citer, copier, convoquer : les modèles savants en travail” – roughly translated as “To Cite, Copy, Summon: Scholarly Models at Work” – will bring together researchers from across Europe and North America.
The conference is organized by Céline Bohnert, a professor of French literature at the University of Reims and a member of the Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire sur les Modèles Esthétiques et Littéraires (CRIMEL); Yann Calbérac; Léa Gariglietti; and Marine Riguet. The opening session on May 28th will feature remarks from Vincent Vuiblet, First Vice-President in charge of Artificial Intelligence at the University, and Sophie Conte, Director of CRIMEL.
Jean Balsamo, a professor of 16th-century literature at the University of Reims and also affiliated with CRIMEL, will deliver the inaugural conference address, with Céline Bohnert serving as the discussant. Balsamo’s presentation is titled “Montaigne ‘pédant à la cavalière’? Citations, allégations, traductions cachées et la dynamique érudite des Essais” – “Montaigne ‘pedant to the horsewoman’? Citations, allegations, hidden translations and the erudite dynamics of the Essays.”
The two-day program is structured around six sessions, each focusing on a different aspect of citation and scholarly practice. Session topics include “Citation and Encyclopedic Knowledge,” “The Circulation of Citations,” “Establishing New Knowledge,” “Citing While Writing,” “Citing, Arguing, Polemicizing,” and “The Voice of Others in the Social Sciences.” Researchers from institutions including the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, the University of Genoa, and the École Normale Supérieure in Lyon are scheduled to present their work.
Presentations will address a range of topics, from the citation practices of 18th-century bibliophiles to the employ of musical quotations in 19th-century encyclopedias. One presentation, by Léa Gariglietti, will explore “the heaps of Mercury” – an enigmatic phrase relating to the work of citations. Another, by Maxime Cartron of the FNRS-UCLouvain, will examine “the ‘Protestant style’ of the 16th and 17th centuries and presentist appropriations: citations, inter-citations.”
The conference will conclude on May 29th with a keynote address by Glenn Roe of Jesus College, Oxford, titled “Citations and Humanism,” with Marine Riguet as the discussant.