The theme of the 17th Congress of the International Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ISECS) is “Enlightenment and (In)equality”.
Throughout the eighteenth century, technological change, the development of trade and the globalization of markets brought about extremely profound changes with an international dimension in social structures of the countries. Yet in the same period, the intellectual developments associated with the Enlightenment caused Reason to collide with inequality, and to confront or at least discuss this, rather than accepting it as a given, natural and inevitable phenomenon. The desire to understand the nature of inequality thus became an aspiration that permeated all the academic disciplines that blossomed from the Enlightenment tree and also made a very deep mark on literary and visual culture and representations of all kinds. The equality proclaimed by the members of the Enlightenment during the eighteenth century could be defined in legal terms as well as in terms of wealth, status, gender, origin, race, caste, education or religious affiliation. It also extended beyond the individual sphere to colonial societies and underdeveloped nations, and Spain, with its vast empire, is a case in point. Fostered by the circulation of ideas and cultural and artistic currents, the desire for equality drove much of the reform of economic, political and legal institutions undertaken by Enlightenment thinkers in their respective countries. But was the concept of equality as coined in the “early” and “late” Enlightenment similar? Was equality used analogously by “radicals” and “moderates”? In a spatial sense, was the equality between rich and poor countries and metropolises and colonies the same? In short, is it appropriate to speak of a single concept of equality in the “long” eighteenth century? The theme of the Zaragoza-2027 Congress thus addresses some of the major overlapping concerns of current research into the Enlightenment, adopting a multidisciplinary and international approach to the various notions of equality that emerged in the eighteenth century. Our theme will likewise encourage the building of bridges between the eighteenth and twenty-first centuries by putting forward a set of interpretative keys to aid our understanding of the daunting challenges facing the modern world.
The Congress Programme includes plenary sessions, panels, dialogues, thematic sessions and roundtables, as well as poster presentations. The Congress will be held in three languages: English, French and Spanish.
With the main theme as a focus, the Scientific Committee has scheduled four plenary sessions, two dialogues between two academics on the theme of Inequality in the Age of Enlightenment: Lessons for the Present? (I and II) and a panel on The Inequalities of the Enlightenment. A second panel addresses the theme of The Past and Future of ISECS and includes the presentation of a book on the history of the ISECS to commemorate the institution’s sixtieth anniversary.
We invite participants to propose thematic sessions, roundtables and individual presentations on the main theme or any other aspect related to the “long” eighteenth century (1670-1830). Early career scholars are also invited to submit posters (one per participant) on research currently in progress or that they would like to undertake in the future. The posters will be on display during the Congress.
The Congress features two other specific programmes, which have their own space in the General Programme. The first is for thematic sessions, roundtables, individual presentations and posters focusing on the use of Digital Humanities (DH). The second, Growing as a Scientific Community (GSC), invites participants to organise thematic sessions and roundtables that contribute to revitalising ISECS’ internal life and the future of international and multidisciplinary research on the eighteenth century.
The Congress hosts the ¡Viva Goya! culture programme devoted to this world-renowned Aragonese painter, the bicentenary of whose death is in 2028. The programme includes film screenings, museum exhibitions, guided tours and performances of music and dance in Goya’s time. It closes with an informal gathering I, Yo, J´ 💙 Les Lumières, accompanied by music, dance and conversation.
Social events include a welcome cocktail party and Gala Dinner.
The General Programme will be drawn up on the basis of the contributions submitted by those who are interested in taking part. Participants are welcome to propose one thematic session and take part in roundtables, but may only submit a maximum of two contributions, one for the General or Digital Humanities Programme and another for the Growing as a Scientific Community Programme. The General Programme detailing the schedule of sessions for each day of the Congress will be published as early as possible in spring 2027.
All participants must register and pay the registration fee online. Please be aware that these are mandatory requirements if your contribution is to be included in the final programme and presented. It is not possible to register without using the online application form or in person during the Congress itself.
Registration for all participants making contributions (thematic sessions, roundtables, individual presentations and posters) closes on 15 May 2027; the closing date for other participants is 15 June 2027.
For organisational reasons, participants are kindly requested to register as soon as possible in order to benefit from reduced registration fees, the deadline for which is 28 February 2027.
Sociedad Española de Estudios del Siglo XVIII
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Katia Fach Gómez is Associate Professor (accredited to Full Professor) at the University of Zaragoza (Spain). She holds a PhD in Law (European doctorate in German) and an LL.M. from Fordham University (New York, USA), where she received the Edward J. Hawk Award for Legal Excellence and graduated summa cum laude. Her research focuses on international litigation, alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, and cultural heritage. In the latter field, she is co-author of Arte secuestrado (Planeta, 2026), which examines, from the perspective of the Enlightenment onwards, the problem of the non-restitution of cultural objects by so-called ‘universal museums’. She is the author of numerous legal books, book chapters and academic articles published in English, Spanish and German by publishers including Oxford University Press, Springer, Kluwer, Brill, Edward Elgar, Routledge, Aranzadi, Tirant lo Blanch and Colex. She has served as a Seconded National Expert at the European Research Council (ERC) of the European Union in Brussels and as Area Director of the International Campus of Excellence Iberus at the University of Zaragoza.
Katia Fach Gómez es Profesora Titular (acreditada a Catedrática) de la Universidad de Zaragoza (España). Es Doctora en Derecho (doctorado europeo en idioma alemán) y ha cursado un Máster jurídico en la Universidad de Fordham (Nueva York-USA). En dicho máster obtuvo el premio jurídico Edward J. Hawk y la calificación summa cum laude. Su investigación se centra en litigación internacional, mecanismos alternativos de resolución de conflictos y patrimonio cultural. En este último ámbito es coautora del libro “Arte secuestrado” (editorial Planeta, 2026), en el que se analiza desde la etapa de la Ilustración el problema de la no restitución de obras de arte por parte de los “museos universales”. Es autora de múltiples libros jurídicos, capítulos de libros y artículos académicos publicados en inglés, español y alemán por editoriales como Oxford University Press, Springer, Kluwer, Brill, Edward Elgar, Routledge, Aranzadi, Tirant lo Blanch y Colex. Ha trabajado como experta nacional (Seconded National Expert) en el Consejo Europeo de Investigación (European Research Council – ERC) de la Unión Europea en Bruselas y ha sido Directora de Área del Campus de Excelencia Internacional Iberus de la Universidad de Zaragoza.
Fernando Durán López holds a PhD in Hispanic Philology and is Professor of Spanish Literature and a member of the Eighteenth-Century Studies Research Group at the University of Cádiz, where he has taught since 1997. His research is focused on Spanish autobiography; political literature, journalism, exile and intellectual life in and around the Cortes of Cádiz; eighteenth-century literary astrological almanacs; and government censorship of books during the same period. He has served as President of the Spanish Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies since 2022 and is co-editor-in-chief of the journal Cuadernos de Ilustración y Romanticismo. He is the author or editor of around fifty books, including José María Blanco White o la conciencia errante (2005); Vidas de sabios. El nacimiento de la autobiografía moderna en España (1733–1848) (2005); Versiones de un exilio. Los traductores españoles de la Casa Ackermann (Londres, 1823–1830) (2015); Juicio y chirinola de los astros. Panorama literario de los almanaques y pronósticos astrológicos españoles, 1700–1767 (2015); De las seriedades de Urania a las zumbas de Talía. Astrología frente a entretenimiento en la censura de los almanaques de la primera mitad del XVIII (2021); and Cándido María Trigueros, censor (2025, co-authored with C. Martínez Torres).
Fernando Durán López es doctor en Filología Hispánica, catedrático de Literatura Española y miembro del Grupo de Estudios del Siglo XVIII de la Universidad de Cádiz, en la que enseña desde 1997. Sus investigaciones se han centrado en la autobiografía española; en literatura política, periodismo, exilio y vida intelectual alrededor de las Cortes de Cádiz; almanaques astrológicos literarios del XVIII; y censura gubernativa de libros en el mismo siglo. Es presidente de la Sociedad Española de Estudios del Siglo XVIII desde 2022 y codirector de la revista Cuadernos de Ilustración y Romanticismo. Es autor o editor de una cincuentena de libros, entre ellos: José María Blanco White o la conciencia errante (2005); Vidas de sabios. El nacimiento de la autobiografía moderna en España (1733-1848) (2005); Versiones de un exilio. Los traductores españoles de la Casa Ackermann (Londres, 1823-1830) (2015); Juicio y chirinola de los astros. Panorama literario de los almanaques y pronósticos astrológicos españoles, 1700-1767 (2015); De las seriedades de Urania a las zumbas de Talía. Astrología frente a entretenimiento en la censura de los almanaques de la primera mitad del XVIII (2021); Cándido María Trigueros, censor (2025, con C. Martínez Torres).
Javier Usoz is Associate Professor at the University of Zaragoza (Spain). He holds a degree in Law and a PhD in Economics. His research focuses on the history of economic thought, the international circulation of economic ideas during the Spanish and European Enlightenments, and the relationship between economic, political and social ideas. He has co-edited, among other works, L’Économie politique et la sphère publique dans les débats des Lumières (Casa de Velázquez, 2013), Bajo el velo del bien público (Institución Fernando el Católico, 2020), Voces económicas de la ‘Enciclopedia Moderna’ de José Joaquín de Mora (Instituto de Estudios Fiscales, 2022), and the economic works of Tomás de Anzano (Institución Fernando el Católico, 2023). He has published in leading journals in his field, including History of Political Economy, History of Economic Ideas, Revista de Historia Económica, Revista de Estudios Políticos, and Historia Agraria.
Javier Usoz es Profesor Titular en la Universidad de Zaragoza (España). Es Licenciado en Derecho y Doctor en Economía. Su investigación se centra en la Historia del pensamiento económico, la circulación internacional de las ideas económicas de la Ilustración española y europea, y la relación entre las ideas económicas, políticas y sociales. Es coeditor de libros como L´Économie politique et la sphère publique dans les débats des Lumières (Casa de Velázquez, 2013), Bajo el velo del bien público (Institución Fernando el Católico, 2020), Voces económicas de la ‘Enciclopedia Moderna’ de José Joaquín de Mora (Instituto de Estudios Fiscales, 2022) y la obra económica de Tomás de Anzano (Instituto Fernando el Católico, 2023). Ha publicado en las mejores revistas de su especialidad, entre otras, History of Political Economy, History of Economic Ideas, Revista de Historia Económica, Revista de Estudios Políticos e Historia Agraria.
Jesús Astigarraga is Professor of Economics at the University of Zaragoza (Spain). He holds a PhD in Economics and a PhD in History. His research focuses primarily on intellectual history, the history of economic thought, the international circulation of ideas, the institutionalisation of political economy, and the Spanish Enlightenment. He is the current Vicepresident of the Spanish Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies Among his most recent books as author/co-author or editor/co-editor are: A Unifying Enlightenment. Institutions of Political Economy in Eighteenth-Century Spain, 1700–1808 (Brill, 2021); Adam Smith and the ‘Wealth of Nations’ in Spain. A History of Reception, Dissemination, Adaptation and Application, 1777–1840 (Routledge, 2022); The Economic Legacy of José Joaquín de Mora. Spreading Classical Political Economy in the Hispanic World (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024); Gerónimo de Uztáriz and his Economic Work. New Politics and the Origins of the Science of Commerce in 18th Century Europe (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025); and A History of Spanish Economic Thought: From Scholasticism to Keynesianism (Routledge, 2026).
Jesús Astigarraga es Catedrático de Economía en la Universidad de Zaragoza (España). Es Doctor en Economía y Doctor en Historia. Su labor investigadora se centra habitualmente en ámbitos como la historia intelectual, la historia del pensamiento económico, la circulación internacional de las ideas, la institucionalización de la economía política y la Ilustración española. Es el actual vicepresidente de la Sociedad Española de Estudios del Siglo XVIII. Algunos de sus últimos libros como autor/coautor o editor/coeditor son: A Unifying Enlightenment. Institutions of Political Economy in Eighteenth-Century Spain, 1700-1808 (Brill, 2021); Adam Smith and the ‘Wealth of Nations’ in Spain. A History of Reception, Dissemination, Adaptation and Application, 1777-1840 (Routledge, 2022); The Economic Legacy of José Joaquín de Mora. Spreading Classical Political Economy in the Hispanic World (Palgrave MacMillan, 2024); Gerónimo de Uztáriz and his Economic Work. New Politics and the Origins of the Science of Commerce in 18th Century Europe (Palgrave MacMillan, 2025); A History of Spanish Economic Thought: From Scholasticism to Keynesianism (Routledge, 2026).
