The ReceptioGate Affair

The ReceptioGate Affair is the first of two scholarly volumes that document, analyse, and contextualise one of the most virulent defamation campaigns in recent European academia-a campaign aimed at discrediting the manuscript research centre RECEPTIO and its director. More than a case study in reputational warfare, the book offers a rigorous investigation into the forces that oppose transparency in the art market, particularly regarding the commercial dismemberment of medieval manuscripts. This first volume offers a detailed chronology of events, a rigorous examination of the academic controversy that erupted around the RECEPTIO centre, a critical assessment of institutional responses, and a concluding manifesto for manuscript ethics in the digital age. It brings to light the entanglement of certain academic and commercial interests, illustrating how independent research was systematically targeted through blogs masquerading as scholarly platforms, orchestrated social media campaigns, and the misuse of algorithmic detection tools. Based on a wide range of verifiable sources-including legal filings, internal correspondence, press corrections, and eye-witness reports-the volume exposes the real dynamics at play: not a matter of scholarly misconduct, but a confrontation between critical inquiry and the vested interests of the manuscript trade. Intended for scholars in manuscript studies, digital humanities, intellectual history, and cultural heritage law.