The Edges of Truth: Secrecy, Artifice, and the Limits of Knowledge

Wolf Humanities Center • University of Pennsylvania

2025–2026 FORUM ON TRUTH

The Edges of Truth: Secrecy, Artifice, and the Limits of Knowledge

Conference

The Edges of Truth: Secrecy, Artifice, and the Limits of Knowledge brings together scholars across disciplines to explore how what we perceive as truth has been constructed, obscured, misunderstood, contested, and reimagined throughout history. The conference opens with a keynote by Michael D. Gordin (Princeton), who reflects on how the boundary between institutionally recognized and marginalized knowledge has been shaped over time. The following day continues this conversation with talks on the trial and error behind invention and exploration, the practices of secrecy and deception, the art of reconstructing and visualizing the past, and the critical study of both intentional and unintentional forgeries. Together, these talks trace how imagination, quest for understanding, spirit, and artistry have continually pushed against the limits of what is accepted and known – and what is permitted. Held at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Museum and Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, this two-day conference probes the fragile edges of truth – and the social and intellectual stakes of who gets to define, transform, or defend it.

More information: https://wolfhumanities.upenn.edu/events/edges-truth

SEPTEMBER 17, 2025

Widener Lecture Hall, Penn Museum, 3260 South Street

5:30pm–7:00pm | Keynote*

The Persistence of Wretched Subjects

• Michael D. Gordin, Dean of the College, Rosengarten Professor of Modern and Contemporary History; Professor of History, Princeton University

*Please register separately for the keynote

SEPTEMBER 18, 2025

Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion; Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts; 6th floor, Van Pelt Library, 3420 Walnut Street

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9:00am–9:10am | Welcome Remarks

Julia Verkholantsev (University of Pennsylvania)

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9:10am–10:50am | Session 1

Constructing Knowledge: Error, Uncertainty, Variation

Chair: Priyamvada Nambrath (University of Pennsylvania)

• Paola Bertucci (Yale University), "Found in Translation: Unintentional Fabrications and Origin Stories in the History of Navigation"
• Eleanor Webb (University of Pennsylvania), "Uncertain Signs: The Science of Physiognomy in Early Modern Italy"
• Darin Hayton (Haverford College), "Astrological Aphorisms and the Many Ways the Universe Worked"

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11:00am–12:10pm | Session 2

The Social Lives of Secrets: Concealment and Control of Information

Chair: Paul Cobb, (University of Pennsylvania)

• Benedek Láng (Eötvös Loránd University), "Beyond Encryption: The Social History of Secrecy and Cryptography in Early Modern Europe"
• Christopher P. Atwood, (University of Pennsylvania), "What's the 'Secret' in the Secret History of the Mongols'?"

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1:10pm–2:10pm | Session 3

Asserting Authority: The Art of Lies, Idle Talk, and Victory

Chair: Ada Kuskowski (University of Pennsylvania)

• Julia Verkholantsev (University of Pennsylvania), "Royal Rogues: The Truth about Trickery and Deception in Polish Legendary Narratives"
• Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano (University of Pennsylvania), "Ottoman Pleasantries: Idle Talk, Lies, and Rivalries among the Early Modern Ottomans"

• Pawel Maciejko (Johns Hopkins University), "Rabbi Jonathan Eibeschuetz and the Jesuit Art of Lying"

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3:00pm–4:10pm | Session 4

Visualizing Histories: Is All Truth That Meets the Eye?

Chair: Lynn Ransom (Penn Libraries)

• Zoë Opačić (University of London), "Seeing and Believing: Visualizing the Late Medieval and Early Modern City"
• Emily Steiner (University of Pennsylvania), "History on a Roll: Legends, Lies, and Politics in the Medieval Genealogical Roll Chronicle"

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4:20pm–5:30pm | Session 5

The Value of the Fake: Forgery as Historical Testimony

Chair: Nicholas Herman (Penn Libraries)

• Balázs Nagy (Central European University, Eötvös Loránd University), "Forged Medieval Documents as Authentic Historical Sources? Some Case Studies from Central Europe"
• Kenneth Lapatin (J. Paul Getty Museum), "Learning from Forgery"

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5:30pm–7:00pm | Closing Reception

Conference cosponsored by Penn's Departments of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, English, History, History of Sociology and Science, and The Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

The Wolf Humanities Center values inclusivity and we aim to create a welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds. Please feel free to note any accessibility needs or concerns in your registration, or connect with us by email or phone (215.573.8280).