Modern Materials: the archaeology of things from the early modern, modern and contemporary world

CHAT 2009
KEBLE COLLEGE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY

Call for Papers

Modern Materials:
the archaeology of things from the early modern, modern and contemporary world

Friday 16 - Sunday 18 October 2009

How does the study of material things contribute to our understanding of the early modern, modern
and contemporary world? What is the distinctive contribution of archaeology in these studies?

CHAT 2009 focuses on the archaeological study of ‘Modern Materials’ - from ‘small things forgotten’ to
large and complex technological artefacts; and from discrete, single objects to large, disparate
assemblages.

The study of material things is a central element of all archaeology. But some have argued that a
concentration on materials fetishizes things, focusing too much attention on the empirical detail of
materials or manufacture. Equally, others have suggested that material culture studies are too often
strangely dematerialised – focused only on social relationships and not on the physicality of objects.
Responding to both these arguments, CHAT 2009 considers and celebrates the diversity of
archaeological studies of ‘modern materials’, and their interdisciplinary contribution.

Papers are invited that focus on the study of particular ‘modern materials,’ broadly interpreted: the
many material dimensions of the early modern and modern periods and the contemporary world (c. AD
1600 to present).

Questions addressed by the conference will include, but are not limited to:

- Is it helpful to define the archaeology of the modern world according to its focus upon material
things?
- How can contemporary and historical archaeology relate to anthropological material culture studies?
- How can we rethink archaeology’s distinctive approaches to studying things as important tools and
resources, rather than simply methods for dry empiricism?

Keynote speakers and discussants: to be confirmed March 2009.

Registration: £40 (including tea and coffee, wine reception, excluding accommodation)

Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be sent to the conference committee at
ChatOxford@gmail.com by 31 May 2009 at the latest. Any queries should also be sent to the same
email address.

The conference website will be updated in the coming weeks: http://www.contemp-hist-arch.ac.uk/