FemSMed's Research Seminar on "The Material Aspects of Female Enslavement in Early Modern Europe"
On October 29th, 2026 the FemSMed project hosted a research seminar on "The Material Aspects of Female Enslavement in Early Modern Europe," with the participation of Prof. Niall Atkinson (Art History, University of Chicago), Prof. Serena Di Nepi (History, Sapienza University of Rome), Prof. Massimo Carlo Giannini (History, University of Teramo), Prof. David Graizbord (History and Judaic Studies, University of Arizona), Dr. Piergebriele Mancuso (The Medici Archive Project, Florence), and FemSMed's fellows. The 1-day workshop was hosted by the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem. The day opened with greetings by Prof. Vered Noam (TAU), the library's academic advisor and director of its Scriptorium project, followed by a guided tour of the building, its stacks, and one of its exhibits, led by Ms. Timna Abramov. The workshop's first session included a presentation by FemSMed's doctoral fellow Eynav Ovadia, on which Dr. Mancuso provided a response, and a presentation by FemSMed's doctoral fellow Lisa Molina, on which Prof. Atkinson offered his insights, with the other workshop participants then joining the discussion of both papers. After a lunch with our guests, which included additional lively discussions, we reconvened for a second session. The afternoon session began with a presentation by FemSMed's M.A. fellow Eliah Jaffe, followed by Prof. Graizbord's comments. Then, FemSMed's doctoral fellow Nil Abend presented his research, on which Prof. Giannini provided a response. Finally, FemSMed's doctoral fellow Alice Sanna Bucci delivered a paper, on which Prof. Di Nepi commented. All three parts of this session ended with lively discussions involving all of the workshop's attendees. We are very grateful to our guests for seven hours of stimulating intellectual exchanges!
