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"Material Geographies"
Date: One Day Conference, Thursday 5th September
Venue: Department of Geography, UCL, 26 Bedford Way, London,
WC1H OAP
Organisers: D. Tolia-Kelly & B. Anderson
We would like to invite papers for this specialist one-day
conference on the broard topic of materiality. The conference
emerges out of increasing research and theoretical interests into
the materiality of political, social, cultural and economic life. This
renewed geographical focus on objects/matter/things may be
understood as a part of a wider questioning of the dominance of
textual or representational conceptions of the social world. The
conference is therefore an opportunity to illustrate some of the
current work on materiality and geography. It also however aims to
develop a critical dialogue between researchers approaching
materiality from a variety of disciplinary and theoretical
backgrounds. We would therefore also like to invite researchers
from anthropology, art history, sociology and philosphy to
contribute, and welcome papers with varied theoretical apporaches
specific to the object world. These may include, but are not limited
to: phenomenology, actor-network theory, object-relations theory,
Marxism, cultural materialism and papers influenced by Walter
Benjamin.
Potential Themes
These themes are intended to be suggestive rather than exhaustive
and contributions are welcome on any area of "material
geographies". Given the potentially huge subject area we expect
the papers presented to focus upon things/ objects/ materiality.
Objectification, the Gaze and Power
Commodification and Commodities
Popular Culture (music, fashion etc)
Technologies and Machines
Aesthetics and Art
Materialities of Poverty and Power
Social Difference and Materiality
Agency and Objects
"Everyday life" and Materiality
Materialities of Nature
Embodiment and Things
Post-Humanism
Sociality and Objects
Material Culture and Identity
Obsolescence and Things
The "social life" of Things
The Materiality of Landscape
Sensing Objects
Surrealism and the "Extraordinary" Object
Emotions, Passion and the Non-Human World
Theoretical approaches specific to the object world
Methods and Methodologies for attending to the materiality of
things
Contributions to the day conference will consist of twenty minute
papers. Potential contributers should send a 300 word (max)
electronic abstract by 1 March 2002 to BOTH Divya Tolia-Kelly and
Ben Anderson. Please contact Ben Anderson with initial
expressions of interest or any questions.
Abstracts should be sent to both
Divya Tolia-Kelly Ben Anderson
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