J. D. Sargan

 Fiesole

A Digital Early Career Symposium

May 6th-8th 2020

In the hills above Florence, at Fiesole, Boccaccio tells us, a group of young people sheltered from the plague that ravaged the city below to tell stories. At our own digital Fiesole we find our own creative, intellectual, and social outlets.

We acknowledge the enhanced precarity experienced by early career, independent, and otherwise contingent academics during this global crisis. Without the security of permanent jobs, many of us rely on conferences to connect us to our academic community and help guide our intellectual trajectory. The cancellation / postponement of the 2020 ‘conference season’ leaves in its wake increased isolation, confusion, and listlessness. Beyond this, we recognise the longterm impact that this crisis is likely to have on both the academic job market and the shape of our intellectual CVs. We invite scholars dealing with such concerns to join us at our digital Fiesole, where we will combine intellectual and creative papers with social opportunities as we look to a collaborative future.