ABOUT
The Society for Renaissance Studies
We are the main academic organisation in Britain and Ireland for people interested in all aspects of the Renaissance.
The Society for Renaissance Studies
The Society for Renaissance Studies (SRS), founded in 1967, provides a national, and international forum for all those - whether academics, independent scholars, postgraduates and undergraduates, school teachers and students, or members of the general public - who have an interest in any aspect of the study of the Renaissance.
Our work covers political and social history, history of art, architecture, garden history, material culture, history of ideas, philosophy, science, technology, religion, music, English literature and the literatures and cultures of mainland Europe and of the countries in contact with Europe and the British Isles during the Renaissance period (broadly conceived).
Publications and International Links
Our internationally recognized journal, Renaissance Studies, is published five times a year by Wiley-Blackwell and is offered to members at a reduced subscription rate. An issue of the Society’s Bulletin, free to members, is published in the autumn with information about new research, conferences, and exhibitions. Our book series explores the many cultures of knowledge, learning, reading and performing in the Renaissance and Early Modern world. An international conference is organized biennially and the international dimension is further fostered by links ranging from the British School at Rome to the Renaissance Society of America.
Funding and Prizes
The Society, as a registered Charity, offers financial support on a competitive basis to organizers of major conferences in the UK and Ireland and, separately, to organizers for the encouragement and support of postgraduates wishing to participate in their conferences. A number of postdoctoral fellowships are awarded annually, usually including one, the Rubinstein Fellowship, offered in memory of Nicolai Rubinstein to an outstanding candidate in Italian Renaissance history or culture. Museum and galleries awards are available for curators enabling them to visit relevant libraries and archives. A public engagement scheme enables researchers to put on events for a general audience. The Society also awards a biennial book prize and a prize for the best article published each year in our journal Renaissance Studies.
Events and Activities
As well as the biennial conference, SRS supports a range of public lectures, including the one traditionally associated with the May AGM and the public events organized annually in venues around the UK and Ireland. Regional activities are also supported with designated representatives on Council for Ireland, Scotland and Wales. An important part of our work has been directed towards schools and there is an active concern with the place of the Renaissance in the national curriculum. The Society has also established links with Museums and Galleries.
Structure
The Society is a registered Charity (Number 1025890) and is governed by an elected Council which meets three times a year to manage our activities.
The Society’s AGM, to which members are warmly invited, takes place either in London in early May or at our biennial conference.