Corruption in the City – the City in Corruption. A Historical Perspective from the Early Modern Period to 1989

The international conference Corruption in the City – the City in Corruption. A Historical Perspective from the Early Modern Period to 1989, organised by the Prague City Archives in cooperation with the Institute of History of the Faculty of Arts at J. E. Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem and the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences, will take place on 6 and 7 October 2026 at the City Mayor’s Residence (Mariánské náměstí 1, Praha 1).

Call for Papers_ENG     Call for Papers_DE

The aim of this interdisciplinary conference is to discuss the phenomenon of corruption associated with acts such as bribery, nepotism, clientelism, and embezzlement. Corruption should be viewed as a multi-layered social phenomenon affecting the urban environments from the Early Modern period to the 20th century. Public administration in cities created opportunities for pursuing private (personal, family, or group) interests for financial or status gain, as well as for violating written and unwritten rules with the aim of increasing private influence. The aim of the conference is to observe the changes in its forms, but also its reflection at both the normative and informal levels.

If you are interested in participation, please send your registration (name of participant, affiliation to institution, e-mail address) and abstract to: marketa.ruckova@praha.eu by 25 April 2026.

Conference languages are Czech and German, with simultaneous interpretation, or English.