With apologies for cross-posting:


CALL FOR PAPERS: 'The Philosophy of the Archive' Conference, April 10-11 2008, Edinburgh.

The Centre for Archive and Information Studies, School of Humanities, University of Dundee, invites proposals for an interdisciplinary conference, 'The Philosophy of the Archive' to be held in Edinburgh on Thursday April 10th  and Friday 11th April  2008. This conference is part of a project, 'Investigating the Archive: an interdisciplinary enquiry into the concept and role of archives', funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Keynote speakers include Verne Harris, Head of Memory for Justice Programme, Nelson Mandela Foundation, South Africa and Professor Terry Cook, University of Manitoba, Canada and Dr Elizabeth Shepherd, University College, London

Proposals in the form of abstracts of 350 words are welcomed on the following topics:

-  the philosophy and politics of identifying, selecting and preserving archives
- debates surrounding evidential and historical value, social and political agendas and the changing nature of archives
- recording, remembrancing and memory
- potential conflicts between the use of archives for culture or accountability
- the diverse interdisciplinary agendas which may have an impact on the creation, interpretation and use of archival material
- ethical and policy formulations in relation to use and abuse of archives in specific contexts: how collections relate to larger stories of regional, state or national narratives

This conference will be relevant to theorists, archivists, philosophers, historians, literary historical critics and other discipline specific scholars, with the aim of encouraging debate and developing a critical understanding of these issues. In particular, we see this seminar as breaking down barriers between academic disciplines and challenging the insularity that sometimes characterises those working with archives.

Proposals for presentations lasting no longer than 25 minutes should be submitted to the conference organisers, Patricia Whatley and Caroline Brown, by Monday 10th December 2007 to [log in to unmask] and should include full contact details and a short CV.  Acceptance of proposals will be made on December 21st.  It is intended that the proceedings of the conference will be published.  Funding to support attendance at the conference is not available but the registration fee will be waived for speakers.

During the conference an interdisciplinary PhD programme on Memory, funded by the Centre for Archive and Information Studies in partnership with the departments of History and Philosophy, at the University of Dundee will be launched. The inaugural studentship will be advertised shortly. 

The RSE-funded 'Investigating the Archive' project consists of three conferences and two workshops. The first conference, 'A Triangular Traffic', held on November 2-3 2007 addressed the subject of  literature, slavery and the archive. The third conference which will be held in Summer 2008, will be on the subject of Visual Culture and the Archive of Migration. The workshops will serve to sustain the interrogative and self-reflexive methodological questioning initiated during the main events. In this manner, it is hoped that scholars with different methodological outlooks on the archive - and archival research - can work together in a productive dialogue or tension.

Patricia Whatley & Caroline Brown
Centre for Archive and Information Studies
University of Dundee










Patricia Whatley
University Archivist & Head of Archive, Records Management and Museum Services (ARMMS)
Tower Building, University of Dundee DD1 4HN
Tel: +44 (0)1382 385587
Fax: +44 (0)1382 385523
Mobile: +44 (0)7841368799
email: [log in to unmask]

MASTERS DEGREES BY DISTANCE LEARNING
- MSc Archives and Records Management (International)
- MLitt Archives & Records Management 
- MSc Records Management & Information Rights
 
NEW - FROM SEPTEMBER 2007
- MSc Records Management and Digital Preservation
 
For more details see:
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/armms/cais/