[Bilimsel Haber] CFP: Material Culture Symposium for Emerging Scholars

[Sule Tarakcioglu]

From: Bess Williamson [mailto:bess.williamson at gmail.com]

Grad students and friends of grad students:

The Center for Material Culture Studies at the University of Delaware is
pleased to announce its call for papers for the Fifth Annual Material
Culture Symposium for Emerging Scholars (MCSES) to be held Saturday,
April 14, 2007 at the Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library in
Winterthur, Delaware.

Purpose of the Forum: This symposium provides graduate students and
other emerging scholars with a venue for interdisciplinary dialogue on
material culture. By freeing participants of chronological and topical
restraints, the symposium encourages discussion across perceived
boundaries of time, space and discipline. We invite scholars from
American Studies, Art and Design History, Architecture, Anthropology,
English, History, Consumer Studies, and other fields to share their
research and explore new avenues of interpretation and critical thinking
in the field of material culture studies. We seek papers that are
grounded in the study of objects but that address multidisciplinary
themes. We also welcome papers that take a primarily theoretical
approach and evaluate critical themes in the field such as the very
nature of materiality. Past papers have ranged in topic from objects in
early American gift exchange, to early twentieth-century French
cosmetics packaging, to contemporary African American funeral programs.

Format:  Nine presenters will give twenty-minute papers in panels of
three speakers each. There will be two morning sessions and one
afternoon session, each followed by comments by established scholars in
the field and a discussion period. Over the course of the day,
participants will have opportunities to tour Winterthur's library and
its unparalleled collection of early American decorative arts.

How to submit your proposal: The proposal, not to exceed one
single-spaced page, should clearly indicate both the subject matter of
your paper and the interpretive or methodological problems that you
intend to address. Preference will be given to papers that promise to
generate provocative, productive discussion about issues central to
material culture scholarship.

Papers should not have been published at the time of the conference.
Send your proposal, along with a current c.v. (no more than two pages),
to emerging.scholars at gmail.com

Deadline:  Proposals must be received by November 13th, 2006.  Speakers
will be notified of the vetting committee's decision by early January
2007. Upon notification, speakers will be asked to provide conference
organizers with digital images for use in publicity. Speakers will need
to submit a final draft of their papers by February 26, 2007 so that
commentators may have ample time to review them prior to the symposium.

Sponsors: The symposium is co-sponsored by the Center for Material
Culture Studies and Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library. CMCS is an
umbrella entity that comprises the allied programs in material cultureat
the University of Delaware. These include the Black American Studies
Program, Center for Historic Architecture and Design, History of
American Civilization Program, Museum Studies Program, Visual
Communications Group and Winterthur Program in Early American Culture,
as well as the University Gallery and related departments, such as
Anthropology, Art History, Art Conservation, Consumer Studies, English
and History. Winterthur maintains the nation's premier collection of
early American decorative arts and is an important catalyst for American
material culture scholarship through its journal, Winterthur Portfolio,
its publications, and the funding of original research through its
fellowship program.

Website:  http://materialculture.udel.edu    Check it often for updates
during the year!

Bess Williamson
bess.williamson at gmail.com