Welcome to ESPRit
Welcome to the European Society for Periodical Research. Since its inception in 2009, ESPRit has proven its value as an international network for periodical researchers. We are proud of our inspiring annual conferences which bring together scholars from inside and outside of Europe and of the peer-reviewed Open Access Journal of European Periodical Studies (JEPS) which has entered its ninth year.
Until recently, ESPRit membership has been informal, consisting mainly of a subscription to our mailing list. In July 2019, a paid membership system was put into place. Periodical scholars who wish to support the Society, participate in its annual meetings, and benefit from discounts at future events, are kindly invited to register their membership by clicking on the button below.
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LATEST NEWS
New Webinar Series: JEPS in Conversation
Join us on 20 June 2025, 15:00 CET for the launch of JEPS in Conversation, a new online series by the Journal of European Periodical Studies, spotlighting fresh research and dialogue in the field.
đď¸ First topic: Periodicals & Belonging â with editors and authors from JEPS 10.1.
đ Click here for full details and registration
Fourth Series of ESPRit Online Seminars: Periodicals and the Law
We are pleased to announce the upcoming sessions in the fourth series of ESPRitâs online seminar Periodicals and the Law, taking place in May and June 2025:
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23 May 2025 â BĂŠatrice Joyeux-Prunel (University of Geneva): âThe Legal Labyrinth of Image-Based Research: Insights from the Visual Contagions Projectâ
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23 June 2025 â CĂŠline Mansanti (University of Picardie-Jules Verne): âLa Vie Parisienne in the 1920s US: âNew Puritanismâ, Censorship and Self-Censorshipâ
Both seminars are free to attend and open to all.
đ Click here for full details and registration
New PhD Opportunity at Northumbria University
Applications are now open for a PhD studentship on The Northern Echo and the Politics of Place, in partnership with the British Library.
đď¸ Deadline for applications: 31 May 2025
đ Based at Northumbria University, British Library and The Northern Echo
đ Click here for full details and how to apply
JEPS 9.2 is out!
We are pleased to announce the publication of Volume 9, Issue 2 of the Journal of European Periodical Studies. As the editor-in-chief, Cedric Van Dijck, notes: "JEPS 9.2 spotlights the latest work in periodical studies. The issue gestures across Europe and across the past three centuries. Its articles cover exciting new territory, with discussions of turn-of-the-century itinerant showpeople's periodicals, portraits of James Joyce in London's Greek newspaper HÄ Hesperia, and the Hungarian periodical pressâfrom nineteenth-century fashion magazines to avant-garde publications. And much more!". Discover the issue.
Call for Papers for the 13th ESPRit annual conference: extended deadline
The conference devoted to "Periodicals as Cultural Assemblages" will be held at the University of MĂĄlaga, 3-5 September. Find the full call here.
Please submit your proposal to the organizing committee by 14 March 2025. The conference will be preceded by a postgraduate workshop, which is currently inviting submissions as well.
Obituary
Brian Maidment, Emeritus Professor of the History of Print at Liverpool John Moores University, passed away on 28th January 2025. Brian played a pivotal role in shaping the field of periodical studies and was a founding member of the European Society for Periodical Research. Brian organised the 2016 ESPRit conference in Liverpool on "Periodical Counter Cultures: Tradition, Conformity and Dissent" and was an exceptionally generous mentor to generations of young scholars.
Renowned for his research on 19th-century print culture, including illustration, almanacks, and popular prints, he authored very influential books, such as Reading Popular Prints 1790-1870 and Comedy, Caricature and the Social Order.
ESPRit would like to emphasise that we have lost not only a giant in the field of periodical studies but also a wonderful person who made a significant impact on many lives. He will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
ESPRit online seminars
In order to build our online ESPRit community, we regularly organise one-hour online seminars. For an overview of past seminars and to watch the recordings, please click here. Proposals for future seminars can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Migration from Listserv tot Google Groups
In December 2022, the European Society for Periodical Research has moved its news and mailing list service to Google Groups. The Listserv mailing list is no longer active. Please join our Google Group if you wish to receive information about our annual conferences, new issues of the Journal for European Periodical Studies and other news concerning ESPRit. Subscribers can also use the Google Group service to exchange information, ask questions, or share new publications with the periodical research community. More information.