The duality of the night is a reality of all ages and civilizations.

The rhythms of human life, intimately related to the cycle of natural light, have always been altered by the arrival of darkness. For society in general, sunset announces relaxation and sheltering, as the workday gives way to a time for resting. But, in its other facet, the night encourages its own amusements, intimacies and vices. For some, opportunities for secrecy, insubordination and deviance appear. For others, the dark and its mysteries inspire devotion, introspection and fear.

A setting of these different experiences, the night generates complex and contradictory perceptions.

We can find them in the actions of the authorities, in religious beliefs, in artistic representations, in the written culture, and both in ritual and everyday moments.

These realities can be analyzed though the most varied points of view – from anthropology to literary studies, from philosophy to art history, among others. Hence, in reply to the scarce historiographical production specifically dedicated to the night, we propose an historical perspective centered on the Early Modern period (between the 15th and 18th centuries).

We’ve conceived four panels based on questions we thought useful to a first exploration of the theme: what were the relationships and articulations between the authorities and the night? What aesthetic and symbolic traits of the night appeared in the art, festivities and devotions? What reflections and deviances in behaviors and beliefs does the night entail? In the streets, which characters and dynamics inhabit and shape the night?

With the exchange of ideas proposed by this inquiry, we intend to stimulate an exploration of the night during the Early Modern period that, far from final, should be historiographicaly pertinent.

Organization Committee

André Filipe Godinho 

Andreia Fontenete Louro 

Catarina dos Santos Viegas 

César Pedro Rodrigues

Miguel Filipe Saraiva

Raquel Gomes Justo

Scientific Committee

Organization