THE SELF IN PREMODERN THOUGHT From Antiquity to the Renaissance in Europe

The Self in Premodern Thought reconfigures the historical study of the self, which has typically been treated in disciplinary silos. Bringing multiple disciplinary perspectives into conversation with each other, it broadens the discussion to include texts and forms of writing outside the standard philosophical/theological canon. A distinguished group of contributors, from philosophy, classics, theology, history, and comparative literature, explores a wide range of texts that greatly expand our understanding of how selfhood was conceived in the ancient, medieval, and early modern periods. The essays in this groundbreaking collection range from challenging new perspectives on well-known authors and texts, such as Plato and Augustine, to innovative explorations of forms of writing that have rarely been discussed in this context, such as drama, sermons, autobiographical writing, and liturgy.

José Luis Bermúdez is Professor of Philosophy and Charles H. Gregory '64 Chair in Arts and Sciences at Texas A & M University. His many books include The Paradox of Self-Consciousness (2000), Understanding 'I': Language and Thought (2017), and The Bodily Self (2018). He has a longstanding interest in the history of philosophy, particularly classical, and his most recent book is Aristotle's De Anima: A Guide (2025).

Catherine Conybeare is Leslie Clark Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies at Bryn Mawr College. She has received numerous awards and fellowships, including from the Guggenheim Foundation. Her interest in interiority and the self led to a Guidebook to Augustine's Confessions (2016), while her most recent book is Augustine the African (2025).