Call For Papers
"Material Worlds: Consumption, Circulation and Meaning in Colonial
Societies"
A Graduate Student Symposium
The McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Barra Foundation,
University of Pennsylvania Departments of History, Art History and
Anthropology , Latin American Cultures Program, Center for Middle East
Studies, Center for African Studies and South Asia Regional Studies
Center invite paper proposals for a graduate student symposium entitled
"Material Worlds: Consumption, Circulation and Meaning in Colonial
Societies" to be held at the University of Pennsylvania on September
20-21, 2002.
The purpose of the symposium is to integrate theoretical and
methodological approaches to the study of colonialism and material
culture in order to foster innovative scholarship in new
cross-disciplinary areas of study. Over the last fifteen years, scholars
in a range of disciplines have generated radically new approaches to the
study of colonialism and material culture respectively. There has been
little concerted effort to date, however, to bring the two fields into
dialogue. In order to facilitate a productive cross-fertilization, we
plan to combine the emphasis in contemporary material culture studies on
consumption, circulation and meaning with the focus in colonial
scholarship on power, identity and cultural hybridity. In doing so, we
hope to enhance our understanding -- both at a theoretical level and at
the level of local historical specificity -- how the "social life of
things" helped to reproduce, negotiate and contest colonial
relationships. Through the symposiumUs interdisciplinary and global
scope, we intend to breach the limitations imposed by disciplinary and
area studies conventions on such investigations.
"Material Worlds" will emphasize a conception of material culture that
includes circulating objects vested with social meaning, value and use,
such as (but not exclusive to) clothing, household objects, items of
trade, and printed and written texts. Architecture, as a large-scale
convergence of materials, techniques and socio-cultural messages,
represents another important aspect of material culture to be addressed
by the symposium. Themes for exploration may include the ways in which
patterns of use and consumption produced colonial identities; how the
different meanings that adhered to colonial objects were deployed in the
maintenance or contestation of colonial power; how commodification and
fetishism mediated relationships among diverse social groups. The
organizers and sponsors especially encourage students in the disciplines
of History, Art History, Architectural History, Anthropology, Folklore
and Archaeology to apply. Papers from all geographical areas and
historical periods will be welcomed, provided that they focus on colonial
societies.
Proposals should include a brief c.v. and a 1000 word prospectus
explaining the substance of the proposed paper, the sources to be used,
and the topic's relationship to the conference themes. Those invited to
participate in the conference will be asked to submit papers of 25-30
pages in length by July 1st, 2002 for pre-circulation to conference
attendees. Limited travel funds will be available for conference
participants. The organizers, Maria Feliciano (Art History, UPenn)
and Yanna Yannakakis (History, UPenn) will screen proposals and arrange
sessions and faculty commentators. Direct questions to
mariafel@sas.upenn.edu or yannayan@sas.upenn.edu. Send three copies of
the proposal to: Yanna Yannakakis, Department of History, College Hall
Room 208, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6379. Proposals must be post-marked by
January 15, 2002.
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From the Literary Calls for Papers Mailing List
CFP@english.upenn.edu
Full Information at
http://www.english.upenn.edu/CFP/
or write Erika Lin: elin@english.upenn.edu
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