International Society for Neoplatonic Studies

International Society for Neoplatonic Studies
Name	International Society for Neoplatonic Studies
Founded	1973
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	International
Region served	Global
Fields	Neoplatonism, Classical philosophy, Late Antiquity, Renaissance studies

International Society for Neoplatonic Studies is a learned society dedicated to the study and promotion of Neoplatonic philosophy and its reception across antiquity, medieval, Byzantine, Islamic, Jewish, and Renaissance contexts. The society fosters research connecting figures such as Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus, Proclus, Damascius and later interpreters like Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, Marsilio Ficino, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola and Nicholas of Cusa. It cultivates interdisciplinary dialogue with scholars working on texts associated with Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander of Aphrodisias, Sextus Empiricus, Galen, Porphyry of Tyre and related streams in Late Antiquity and the Renaissance.

History

The society emerged amid the late 20th-century revival of interest in classical and Byzantine studies, influenced by scholarship from institutions like Oxford University, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Paris, University of Bologna, Heidelberg University and University of Rome La Sapienza. Early contributors included scholars trained under figures linked to the study of Plotinus at the University of London, the editorial traditions of the Loeb Classical Library and philological networks stretching to Leiden University, Columbia University, Yale University, Brown University, University of Toronto and Stanford University. The society’s formation paralleled developments in associations such as the American Philosophical Association, Society for Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy and the International Congress of Medieval Studies.

Purpose and Activities

The society promotes critical editions, translations and interpretive studies concerning Neoplatonic texts and their reception among Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism scholars. It sponsors panels at gatherings associated with British Academy, Academia Europaea, Royal Historical Society, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Medieval Academy of America and regional networks connected to Conseil International de la Philosophie et des Sciences Humaines. Activities include organizing lectures modeled on programs at Institute for Advanced Study, Warburg Institute, Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies and partnerships with libraries such as the Vatican Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Bodleian Library, British Library and Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze.

Annual Conferences and Symposia

The society holds annual conferences that rotate through venues including Florence, Athens, Rome, Istanbul, Cairo, Jerusalem, Lisbon, Munich, Vienna, Cambridge (UK), Oxford, Prague, Kraków, Warsaw, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Toronto, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and São Paulo. Conferences typically feature plenary addresses by scholars affiliated with centers like Institute for Classical Studies (London), Getty Research Institute, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, École pratique des hautes études, Università di Padova and presentations connected to research projects funded by bodies such as the European Research Council, National Endowment for the Humanities, Wellcome Trust and Leverhulme Trust.

Publications and Journal

The society oversees a peer-reviewed journal and edited volumes published in collaboration with academic presses including Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Brill Publishers, Routledge, Bloomsbury, De Gruyter, Palgrave Macmillan and Leuven University Press. Publications often engage with manuscripts cataloged in collections like the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Monastery of Saint Catherine (Mount Sinai), Mount Athos archives and the British Library. Work addresses text-critical concerns related to editions such as those in the Teubner Series, the Oxford Classical Texts, and translation projects akin to the Loeb Classical Library.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises scholars at universities and institutes such as University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, New York University, University of Chicago, Yale University, McGill University, Australian National University, National University of Singapore, Peking University, University of Sydney and Seoul National University. Governance is structured with an elected council and officers mirroring practices from organizations like the Royal Society, American Council of Learned Societies, Modern Language Association and International Philosophical Quarterly. Committees oversee programmatic areas in collaboration with academic centers including the Center for Hellenic Studies, Nietzsche-Archiv, Sackler Library and research networks tied to the Hellenic Institute.

Awards and Prizes

The society awards prizes recognizing lifetime achievement, junior scholar essays and best monograph similar in spirit to honors from the British Academy, American Philosophical Society, Institute of Classical Studies and the Royal Historical Society. Named lectures recall traditions associated with the Gifford Lectures, Sather Lectures, Koret Lecture, Haskins Medal and awards comparable to the Balzan Prize, Princess of Asturias Awards and discipline-specific fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Collaborations include alliances with editorial projects at Brill, research consortia supported by the European University Institute, partnerships with museums such as the British Museum and Louvre Museum, and joint events with academic societies like the Society for Classical Studies, Renaissance Society of America, Byzantine Studies Association, Middle East Studies Association and the International Association for Byzantine Studies. The society also engages with manuscript digitization initiatives led by the Digital Humanities Institute, the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae, the Perseus Digital Library and national libraries such as the Library of Congress and Biblioteca Nacional de España.

Category:Learned societies Category:Neoplatonism