FEPA News

FEPA NEWS 45 59 The World of Research ◊ Michele Santoro, Ca’Foscari University in Venice: ‘Cattaro and the establishment of the first postal network between Venice and Constantinople (1535-1645)’. ◊ Alberto E Minetti, University of Milan: ‘Camels (Camelus Dromedarius) in swift postal systems of Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates (661-1258 AD)’. ◊ Manu Sharma, Council for Strategic and Defense Research, New Delhi: ‘Cold War chronicles on stamps. Visualising the international relations of China and India’. ◊ Mark Brayshay, University of Plymouth: ‘The recipients of (government) postal communications in England’s incorporated boroughs in the later Tudor years.’ ◊ Tao San, University of Tours: ‘The postal system in the Chinese Empire during the Qin and Han dynasties (221BCE – 220CE)’. ◊ Lik Hang Tsui, City University of Hong Kong [By Video]: ‘Balancing Use and Abuse: Personal Letters and Official postal de- liveries in mid-Imperial China’. ◊ Sébastien Richez, Comité pour l’histoire de la Poste: ‘Post Office and feelings of love expression from the end of the Ancien Régime to the 20 th Century’. ◊ Paolo Procaccioli, University of Tuscany, ‘Epistolary technicalia in Francesco Sansovino’s Secretario’. ◊ Nicoleta Serban, Institute for investigation of crimes of Communism and the memory of the Romanian exile, Bucharest: ‘Let- ters sent clandestinely from Romania to Radio Free Europe (1977-1989)’. ◊ Mónika Farkas, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina and University of the Republic, Uruguay: ‘Amateurs and Experts: Phil- atelic Journals and their role in postal history and politics’. ◊ Martina Hacke, independent Researcher: ‘For a history of addresses on envelope fronts of private letters and their function’. ◊ Pérola Maria Goldfeder Borges de Castro, University of Minas Gerais, Brazil [By Video]: ‘Urban postal services in Rio de Janeiro: projects, spaces, continuities and ruptures (1830s-1880s)’. ◊ Honora Spicer, Harvard University [By Video): ‘A Wall will be erected along the Frontier: Post as Front in West Texas (1851- 1861)’. ◊ Fabio Bonacina and Rafaella Gerola, both connected with the Museo dei Tasso at Cornello and the Istituto ‘Aldo Cecchi’ presented a new book on the Paar family from the Bergamo region which played a vital role in establishing postal services in central Europe between the 16 th and 18 th Centuries: ‘I Paar di Paare’. Third Day ◊ Renzo Chiovelli, ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome: ‘Mail and Plague: The disinfection of letters between the Papal States and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany’. ◊ Emery Earl Toops, independent Researcher: ‘Regime change in Vietnam: Issues of the Provisional Revolutionary Government and restoration of postal services in the defeated South’. ◊ Graziano Mamone, University of Genoa: ‘Misfits. Considerations on postal communication in the system of Italian mental hospitals (1861-1978)’. ◊ Amel Brahmi, Columbia University: ‘Postcards sent between French Algeria and France in the late 19 th Century that depict Algerian women undressed’. ◊ Mario Coglitore, Scuola Universitaria Superiore Sant’Anna Pisa – Istituto Dirpolis: ‘Plain life: Personnel files in Italian postal archives as a source to study contemporary history’. ◊ Richard John, Columbia University: ‘Postal policy in a Trans-Imperial age: the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil France and China’. Concluding the Congress Bruno Crevato-Selvaggi invited delegates to indicate support for the concept, first launched at the previous Congress, of creating a Disciplinary Statute for Postal History as a field of studies. The intention is that this Statute would form the basis for a Manifesto to be presented to the international community of scholars. The delegates signified their agreement and work on the Statute will proceed. In view of the importance of postal history to the philatelic world, and the links that already exist between philatelic and academic researchers in some countries, postal historians from the collecting world are recommended to take a close interest in this development. It has the potential to promote multi-disciplinary working involving collectors which can only be, in the view of this postal historian at least, for the benefit of all sides. Besides being extremely enjoyable and well-organised, the Congress was a rare and outstanding opportunity to engage in discussion with others who are interested in research in postal history from a wide range of perspectives, unfettered by rules and guidelines or by questions of ownership, and looking over a very wide canvas. This dialogue offers a way in which postal history for collectors can develop as an integral part of the history of communications, with the philatelists playing their part. Development on these lines would be consistent with the concept of special studies in postal history (described as Class 2C in the FIP Guidelines) and would add context and relevance to the excellent results produced by collectors. I am already looking forward to the next Congress!