On 17–18 September 2026, members of two COST Actions—CA23143 PRAYTICIPATE (Participation through Prayer in the Late Medieval and Early Modern World) and CA23137 PCPSCE (Print Culture and Public Spheres in Central Europe, 1500–1800)—will come together for an Interaction Meeting in Ghent.
The two Actions approach the late medieval and early modern worlds from complementary perspectives. PRAYTICIPATE investigates prayer as a participatory practice that shaped religious, social, and cultural life, while PCPSCE examines the relationship between print culture, communication, and the formation of public spheres in Central Europe. Their meeting will create an opportunity to explore shared interests in manuscript and print cultures, religious communication, the circulation of texts and ideas, materiality, participation, and the relationship between individual practices and wider communities.
The programme combines presentations by members of both networks with focused discussion of possible future cooperation. A tour of the Boekentoren will introduce participants to the rich manuscript and printed-book collections of Ghent University Library.
Gilles and Germain Hardouyn, Book of Hours, Paris, 1518–1521, tempera, ink and gold on parchment, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Joseph W. Drexel, 1889, inv. no. 89.27.4. Public Domain.