MEG News

CfP: The Circulation of Museum Objects

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:27:40 +0000

American Anthropological Association Meeting, New Orleans, November 17th- 21st, 2010 Panel organizer: Chris Wingfield, Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford / University of Birmingham - chris.wingfield(at)prm.ox.ac.uk Deadline for title and abstract: Friday 19th March. When things become museum objects, they can appear to be removed from the world of normal circulation. The process of collecting ethnographic objects has been described in terms of detachment and excision (Kirshenblatt-Gimblett 1998). Storage technologies in museums such as locked doors, alarm systems and glass cases all serve to restrict the movement of museum objects. Museum labeling and documentation can attempt to define museum objects as an immoveable and fixed part of a particular museums collection. Nevertheless many museum objects continue to circulate within and between museums through exchanges and loans. Particularly charismatic objects can be regular travelers between exhibitions staged in different world cities. In some ways it may be more sensible to think of museum objects as forming part of a particular sphere of exchange (Douglas and Isherwood 1979), rather than as being removed from circulation altogether. When museums are closed down, their collections may be transferred to other museum institutions, but can also be sold and returned to other arenas of circulation through the market. Repatriation has also seen museum objects enter new spheres of exchange in recent years. As well as the circulation of the material objects themselves, museum objects circulate through indexical forms (Gell 1998). Casts and physical replicas of particularly iconic objects can form part of the way in which they circulate. Other indexes include photographs and drawings in museum publications, as well as scale models that may be sold in museum gift shops. For some museum objects, there is a relationship between their relative immovability and the number of indexes that circulate in the world. This panel will seek to understand museums as institutions which on the one hand restrict and block the circulation of their objects, but on the other, channel their circulation in particular directions, and through particular spheres. By bringing some of the resources of anthropological exchange theory to the analysis of museums and their objects, it is hoped that museums may be understood in relation to the networks in which they operate, rather than as isolated monolithic institutions. In emulation of recent work on the anthropology of colonial archives, it is suggested that focusing on the circulation of museum objects may be a step towards an anthropology of museums that operates along the grain (Stoler 2009). References Douglas, Mary, and Baron C. Isherwood (1979) The world of goods : towards an anthropology of consumption. Allen Lane, London. Gell, Alfred (1998) Art and agency : an anthropological theory. Clarendon Press, Oxford. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Barbara (1998) Destination culture : tourism, museums, and heritage. University of California Press, Berkeley ; London. Stoler, Ann Laura (2009) Along the archival grain : epistemic anxieties and colonial common sense. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J. ; Oxford.

THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE - Appointment of Director

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:23:30 +0000

THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE Appointment of Director The Council of the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) seeks to appoint a Director to succeed Hilary Callan, from 1 October 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter. This is an exciting opportunity for an appointee to build on the RAIs established record of furthering and promoting anthropology in its broadest and most inclusive sense. Applicants should have demonstrable administrative, management and financial skills, be experienced in working in an organisational setting with a staff and committees, and with a variety of stakeholders, including universities, NGOs, museums, the media and the general public. All candidates should have some level of anthropological background and training. The salary is likely to be comparable to that of Senior Lecturer/Reader in a UK university context, subject to the experience and qualifications of the successful candidate. Further particulars for the post can be found here http://www.therai.org.uk/jobs-and-opportunities/appointment-of-director/. Annual Reports and information on the range of RAI activities, can be found on the RAI website: http://www.therai.org.uk/. Copies of the Further Particulars can also be sent on request (The Office Manager, RAI, 50 Fitzroy Street, London, W1T 5BT, UK; Email: admin@therai.org.uk; telephone: +44 (0)20 7387 0455; Fax: +44 (0)20 7388 8817). Applications for position of Director should include a full CV, a covering letter, and the names and contact details of three referees. Informal inquiries about the post can be made to the RAI President, Professor Roy Ellen (R.F.Ellen@kent.ac.uk). Closing date for the receipt of applications is 20 April 2010. Interviews to be held during the first week in June 2010.

Latest from the RAI - Meaning of Water photo contest

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:04:16 +0000

Dear colleagues and friends, The RAI will be again running screenings and and events during the 2010 ESRC Festival of Social Science week in March, this year on the 'The Meaning of Water' and 'Water Cultures' on film (programme to follow soon). This time we invite you to get creative, too and to participate in our RAI 'The Meaning of Water' Photo Contest (see below)! Please share the invitation with interested students and colleagues around your end. (We have hard copies, too. If you like to display some, please send me an email). Thanks and best Susanne Hammacher RAI Film Officer The Royal Anthropological Institute's Education Outreach Programme invites you to submit your photos to it's 'Meaning of Water' Photo Contest. The contest is looking for photos that explore human relationships with water in the context of the following themes: 1) Livelihoods and Sustainability 2) Trade and Transport 3) Management and Access 4) Religion and Spirituality The competition is open to secondary school students, undergraduate and postgraduate anthropology students and anyone with a passion for anthropology and photography, excluding professional photographers. Deadline for submissions: 15 March 2010 For a list of prizes, submission and regulation guidelines visit: www.discoveranthropology.org.uk http://www.discoveranthropology.org.uk/ We look forward to receiving your photos! Nafisa Fera Education Officer ------------------------------------- Royal Anthropological Institute 50 Fitzroy St. London W1T-5BT Tel: +44 (0) 20 7387 0455 Fax: +44 (0) 207388 8817 education@therai.org.uk

Japanese Sashiko Textiles at Plymouth

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:37:53 +0000

Major 'Japanese Sashiko Textiles' exhibition to travel to Plymouth this summer The first major British exhibition of Japanese Sashiko Textiles will go on display at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery on Saturday 31 July 2010. The show, which was launched at York Art Gallery in October 2009, presents traditional and contemporary textiles and garments, designed to decorate and protect the wearer both physically and spiritually. Entitled 'Japanese Sashiko Textiles', the exhibition presents a sense of time and place in which these works were created. The exhibition has been selected by textile artist Michele Walker whose research has been facilitated by a three year Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Fellowship. It is supported by the Esmeé Fairbairn Foundation, the Arts Council Yorkshire and Renaissance Yorkshire. Michele says: 'The objects have been chosen for the stories they tell. My research has taken place at a critical time when the last generation of (now elderly) makers is rapidly drawing to a close together with their traditional way of life and the disappearance of the natural landscape to which they belong.' The exhibition investigates two major aspects of Japanese sashiko. The first looks at the lives of women who made and wore sashiko. Until the mid twentieth century it was the traditional method of making work wear in fishing and farming areas throughout Japan. The makers were the cornerstones of communities but their lives passed unrecorded. The historical work in this exhibition dating from the nineteenth to mid twentieth century documents these women's achievements, perseverance and hardships. The second aspect focuses on the fact that the physical protection of sashiko garments was reinforced by the spiritual protection thought to be associated with the stitched patterns. Sometimes these 'talisman' took the form of small stitched symbols hidden on the inside of the garment, so as to protect vulnerable parts of the body, for example the neck and back. Or they may take on a more flamboyant character, as seen on the inside of fireman's garments that picture heroic images applied using tsutsugaki (freehand resist-dyed technique.) In total around 75 -100 garments and related objects, including videos and significant works from Japanese photographer, IWAYIMA Takeji (1920-1989) are featured in the exhibition. Most of the exhibits are being shown in the UK for the first time. Lenders include The Japan Folk Crafts Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, The Aikawa and Ogi Folk Museums, Sado Island, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Fukuoka City Museum and private collectors. Alongside the historical items are examples of more recent work inspired by sashiko. NUNO Corporation creates innovative textiles that combine traditional aesthetics with the latest technologies. Textile artist TOKUNAGA Miyoko hand stitches one-off fashion garments. She combines sashiko and sakiori techniques and has produced a special collection for this exhibition. The exhibition will be on display at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AJ from 31 July to 25 September. Opening hours will be 10am to 5.30pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 5pm on Saturdays and Bank Holiday Mondays. Admission is free. The show will be backed by an extensive events and activities programme. Details will shortly be confirmed and will be made available at www.plymouthmuseum.gov.uk. Telephone enquiries can be made to 01752 304774. The Museum is hoping to hold a Symposium on Saturday 18 September. Speakers and the programme for the day are currently being finalised. If you would like to receive details when they become available please send your contact information in an email to museum@plymouth.gov.uk marked FAO: Marketing and Audience Development.

North American Exhibition and Symposium at British Museum

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:36:04 +0000

Free exhibition Warriors of the Plains: 200 years of Native North American honour and ritual Until 5 April 2010 A rare opportunity to explore the fascinating world of Native North American warfare and ritual. This exhibition focuses on the material culture of Native North American Indians of the Plains between 1800 and the present, and the importance of the objects in a social and ceremonial context. It will also be supported by a programme of free gallery talks and the symposium Related symposium Scalps, headhunting and sacrifice: war and warfare in indigenous Americas Sunday 21 February, 11.00 - 17.00 Sackler Rooms Free, booking advised Curators and researchers examine case studies of practices such as scalping, human sacrifice and headhunting expressed by the material culture of indigenous American peoples. For more information visit www.britishmuseum.org

Job advert - freelance ethnographer

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:50:12 +0000

SCARBOROUGH MUSEUMS TRUST Here be Dragons Project Scarborough Museums Trusts offering for the 2012 Cultural Olympiad is a project entitled Here be Dragons one of seven Yorkshire museums projects that sit under the banner of Precious Cargoes. Key elements of the project are: 500 charms and fetishes from all over the world collected in the early 20th century by a local naturalist and historian John Clarke. Working with a specially selected group of young people called Cultiv8 on the context and content of the charm collection to inform the and design of an exhibition to be held at Scarborough Art Gallery in the summer of 2012. Working with the Curator of Exhibitions and two collaborative localinstallation artists who will create artworks in response to the charm collection and the human stories the charms symbolise. Scarborough Museums Trust requires an experienced ethnographer to: Research the charm collection to provide context and to explore the wider human stories that the charms represent such as control of the elements, preservation from harm, control of the body and common/complementary cross cultural belief systems. Lead a minimum of two discussion/activity sessions with the Cultiv8 group, provide one talk for the wider community and attend at least two meetings with the artists. Provide Scarborough Museums Trust with a database of information about the charm collection in a format to be agreed with the Head of Collections. Identify the conservation requirements of the charm collection and liaise with conservator. Financial Information This project is funded by grant aid with a total of £7000 to cover the cost of ethnographic support, £1500 in 2009-10, £4000 in 2010-11 and £1500 in 2011-12. Due to the time of year to avoid losing the first £1500 applicants must be able to start work on the project immediately. Timetable February - March 2010 initial assessment of the collection, data transfer to MODES XML, progress meetings with Head of Collections and agreed milestones for 2010-11 April 2010 March 2011 research collection including any necessary research related visits to other institutions, meetings with artists and Cultiv8, progress meetings with Head of Collections, source appropriate conservation services for the collection and work with conservator. April 2011 March 2012 progress meetings with Head of Collections, meeting with artists and exhibition designers, deliver public lecture, complete research report on collection. Tender process Tenders must be made by email to Karen.snowden@smtrust.uk.com no later than 5.00 pm on Friday 22 January 2010. Tender documents must include a brief CV (no more than one sheet of A4) giving details of any work with young adults, names and addresses of two references one of which must be a previous employer, a financial breakdown of the programme including an estimate of the time required to complete each phase of the programme with costs and estimated expenditure on travel and subsistence and a short written response to one of the charms which can be seen on our website at www.scarboroughmuseumstrust.org.uk. Other information Further information about Scarborough Museums Trust can be found on our website at www.scarboroughmuseumstrust.org.uk If you encounter any technical problems when making your application please contact Angela Doherty at angela.doherty@smtrust.uk.com or call 01723 384503. For more information about the Precious Cargoes project and the Cultural Olympiad visit www.london2012.com/stories-of-the-world for more information about the Here be Dragons project or the charm collection contact Karen.snowden@smtrust.uk.com or call on 01723 304506.

Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums - Project Co-ordinator (Stories of the World)

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:49:19 +0000

For further information please go to: YOUR LINK TITLE

University of Bristol / MEG Essay Prize

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:07:13 +0000

In early April 2009 MEG held the annual conference at the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at Bristol University. In recognition of the kindness of the department in hosting the meeting, the MEG committee agreed to make a small ex-gratia payment to them. The Bristol department in turn decided to award part of this small sum to the student whose essay that year had most closely reflected an interest in material culture. Her name is Emily Milsam and the topic of her dissertation was carnival cultures in Somerset, a most appropriate topic for a group whose 2008 conference had the theme of 'Ethnography at home' and one that points forward to the venue of our 2010 conference, the Museum of English Rural Life at Reading. A copy of her dissertation can be found on the 'Publications' - 'Other Publications' page of this web site.

Job Advert - NMS Senior Curator

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:42:30 +0000

The National Museums Scotland has recently advertised the following post of Senior Curator. Closing date for completed applications is 04/01/2010. http://vacancies.nms.ac.uk/nms/vacancies/viewjobsumm.asp?recordid=16843038&internal=&bounty=&f14id=

Contemporary Ethnography Across the Disciplines Hui

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:35:26 +0000

Contemporary Ethnography Across the Disciplines Hui 17 - 19 November 2010 University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand The hui has three key threads; Emerging Methods: traditional, experimental, transgressive forms Practice and Advocacy: doing ethnography on the ground Social Justice and Transformation: theoretical ethnographic visions You are invited to submit your abstracts online. Please browse through the conference website www.nzethnographyconference.com for more information.

Distribution of Journal

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:15:20 +0000

Firstly the committee would like to apologise to members for the continued delay in publication of the last editions of the Journal of Museum Ethnography (JME). We now hope to get the following editions out to the following timescale: JME 21 (2008/9) - 'Pacific Encounters' - end February 2010. JME 22 (2009/10) - 'Museum Ethnography at Home' - end March 2010. JME 23 (2010/11) - 'Amateur Passions, Professional Practice' - mid 2010. For additional information please contact the Chair (see Committee members list for email address).

REMINDER - Call for Papers

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:28:04 +0000

Museums and Restitution International Conference 8-9 July 2010, University of Manchester http://www.manchester.ac.uk/museumsandrestitution/ Deadline for abstracts: *Friday 11th December 2009* Museums and Restitution is a two-day international conference organised by the Centre for Museology and The Manchester Museum at the University of Manchester. The conference examines the issue of restitution in relation to the changing role and authority of the museum, focusing on new ways in which these institutions are addressing the subject. It will bring together museum professionals and academics from a wide range of fields (including museology, archaeology, anthropology, art history and cultural policy) to share ideas on contemporary approaches to restitution from the viewpoint of museums. Possible themes - New museums, new developments - Visual, knowledge and digital repatriation - Authority and power: voices listened to, voices heard - Beyond ownership? Loans, travelling exhibitions, exchanges - Reflections on returns Confirmed Keynote Speakers: - Prof. Piotr Bienkowski (Former Deputy Director, The Manchester Museum); Title of Keynote: "Authority and the Power of Place: Exploring the Legitimacy of Authorised and Alternative Voices in the Restitution Discourse". - Prof. Anthony Shelton (Director, The University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology); Title of Keynote: "After Dispossession: Heritage, Longing and Anomie in the New Global Homeland" Provisional Keynote Speakers: - Tristram Besterman (freelance advisor on museums and culture, formerly Director of the Manchester Museum); - Prof. James Cuno (Director of the Art Institute of Chicago); - Prof. Dimitrios Pantermalis (President of the new Acropolis Museum, Athens); Please send a title and a short proposal of no more than 300 words and biographical details to Louise Tythacott louise.tythacott@manchester.ac.uk and Kostas Arvanitis kostas.arvanitis@manchester.ac.uk Deadline for Abstracts: Friday 11th December 2009

Free 1-day symposium: Ancient and Modern: Exhibiting the Past in the Present

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:24:38 +0000

UEA Thursday 18 March 2010 This one-day symposium will examine issues involved in displaying and caring for historical and contemporary ethnographic material. The keynote speaker is Nelson Graburn, Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley and Curator of North American Ethnology at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology. Professor Graburn is one of the foremost scholars of ethnic and tourist art studies and his pathbreaking book, Ethnic and Tourist Arts: Cultural Expressions from the Fourth World (1976), has changed the way we think about visual objects outside of the West. His presentation is entitled, "Ancient and Modern: Exhibiting the Hearst Museum's Alaska Commercial Company Collection." The symposium will be free, but advance registration is required. http://www.sru.uea.ac.uk/news.php#Ancient

CALL FOR PAPERS: A special issue of Museum Anthropology

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:24:47 +0000

Looking Back, Looking Forward: NAGPRA after Two Decades In 1990, the United States Congress passed the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), thereby forever altering museum collections and exhibits, and the relationship between museums and Native American communities. In this special thematic issue of Museum Anthropology, we are seeking innovative studies of NAGPRAs impacts, brief reflections and commentaries, and analyses that investigate the trends of the last two decades and anticipate what is still to come. Particularly welcomed are papers that evaluate whether NAGPRA has led to the kind of spiritual healing that it was intended to facilitate, or whether it has opened old wounds (or made new ones). Viewpoints are encouraged from Native Americans, tribal representatives, museum professionals, federal employees, lawyers, archaeologists, physical anthropologists, and other academic scholars. NEW DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 1, 2010 The top peer-reviewed comments and articles will be published in the fall of 2010 (vol. 33, n. 2). Initial submissions should not exceed 8,000 words including notes, tables, and references. Inquiries and manuscripts should be sent via email to muaeditor@gmail.com.

Call for Papers - Museums and Restitution

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:39:12 +0000

Museums and Restitution is a two-day international conference organised by the Centre for Museology and The Manchester Museum at the University of Manchester. The conference examines the issue of restitution in relation to the changing role and authority of the museum, focussing on new ways in which these institutions are addressing the subject. Restitution is one of the most emotive and complex issues facing the museum world in the twenty first century. Its current high profile reflects changing global power relations and the increasingly vocal criticisms of the historical concentration of the worlds heritage in the museums of the West. The 2002 Declaration of the Importance and Value of Universal Museums, which was signed by the directors of eighteen of the worlds most powerful museums, pushed the subject to the forefront of debate as never before. Over recent years, the issue of restitution has taken on a new complexion with different processes emerging. We have seen an increasing emphasis on museums working with source communities, and with new forms of restitution other than object restitution - such as visual and knowledge restitution. The language of discussion too has changed, with the term reunification, for example, rather than repatriation now often being used in relation to the Parthenon Marbles. The opening of New Acropolis Museum in Athens in June 2009 has added a further dimension to the debates. We are also seeing new countries gaining increasing prominence in restitution debates: for example, the official response from the government of the Peoples Republic of China to the Yves Saint Laurent auction of Chinese looted bronzes at Christies in Paris in March 2009. This is a trend clearly set to continue. This conference will bring together museum professionals and academics from a wide range of fields (including museology, archaeology, anthropology, art history and cultural policy) to share ideas on contemporary approaches to restitution from the viewpoint of museums. Possible themes  New museums, new developments  Visual, knowledge and digital repatriation  Authority and power: voices listened to, voices heard  Beyond ownership? Loans, travelling exhibitions, exchanges  Reflections on returns Please send a title and a short proposal of no more than 300 words and biographical details to Louise Tythacott louise.tythacott@manchester.ac.uk and Kostas Arvanitis kostas.arvanitis@manchester.ac.uk Deadline for Abstracts: Friday 11th December 2009 http://www.manchester.ac.uk/museumsandrestitution

First call for papers - MEG conference 2010

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:42:49 +0000

Making Things From technological interpretations through to gallery-based artistic interventions, museum ethnographers have long grappled with issues of creativity and with the physical techniques and social forces that underpin the making of our material worlds. However, in recent years other topicscollecting processes, disciplinary histories, and questions of materialityhave come to the fore, often at the expense of pragmatic and material-centred relationships between people and things. This conference seeks to re-engage with the practical elements of the profession. As museum ethnographers we facilitate the passage of material culture from its physical construction amongst source communities through to its careful management in the applied contexts of everyday museum practice. Echoing this, we seek papers that explore the broad theme of making things. These might relate to manufacturing processes, field-collecting methods, conservation techniques, exhibition design, creative intervention, educational resource production, or even the means by which institutions themselves have come into being. It is hoped that the resultant conference will include several sessions comprising traditional papers as well as at least one session involving practical activities, interactive opportunities, and less formal experiences. As such, the organisers are very keen to hear from potential speakers who wish to deliver hands-on displays or who are keen to incorporate the actual making of things into their contribution. For example, these might include demonstrations of conservation approaches, artistic performances, or exhibitions of manufacturing techniques. There may also be scope for demonstrationsinternal or externalin the breaks between sessions. Papers will be 20 minutes in length with an additional 10 minutes for questions. There will also be a work-in-progress session comprising shorter presentations of 10 minutes in length. Conference contributions may be considered for publication in the Journal of Museum Ethnography published annually by the Museum Ethnographers' Group. For further information or to propose and discuss papers, sessions, demonstrations, or performances please contact: Ollie Douglas Address: Museum of English Rural Life, Redlands Road, Reading, RG1 5EX UK Telephone: [+44] [0]118 378 8660 Email: o.a.douglas@reading.ac.uk The closing date for submissions and abstracts is Friday 15 January 2010.

Emasculated ethnographic figures

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 08:03:22 +0000

I am writing a paper on emasculated ethnographic figures, i.e. those whose penises have been removed, whether by locals, missionaries, dealers, collectors or curators, now in Western collections. To my knowledge, nothing general or comparative has been written on the topic yet. This research is, in part, a very belated consequence of work I did in the '80s on the UK market in tribal art (published in Res 15, 1988). I would be very interested and most grateful to receive any information or examples of this practice in any collection in the world. Some curators have spoken to me of their institution's 'oral history' or of 'hearsay' about what might have happened/very likely did happen in their own institution. These apparently anecdotal reports would be very valuable for me to learn of. So, even if there are no emasculated figures in your museum but there are tales about what is said to have happened in the past, I'd still be very appreciative hearing of them. Of course, any assistance would be fully acknowledged in the resulting publication. Look forward to hearing from you, Jeremy MacClancy School of Social Sciences Oxford Brookes University OXFORD OX3 0BP UK Email: jmacclancy@brookes.ac.uk

CALL FOR PAPERS: Memory in the Maritime Museum: Objects, Narratives, Identities

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:09:36 +0000

CALL FOR PAPERS *Memory in the Maritime Museum: Objects, Narratives, Identities* Editors: Helen Beneki, Dr James P. Delgado and Dr Anastasia Filippoupoliti We invite papers for a special double issue of the International Journal of Heritage Studies, which will explore the following themes related to maritime museums: the representation of maritime past in exhibitions; the relationship of the preservation of maritime heritage to the local community; the re-invention of past (national, regional, local) identities in today's communities through maritime exhibition narratives; and the role of maritime activity in creating ethnically and culturally diverse populations in seaports (local communities). Manpower, tacit knowledge and related material culture traveled across societies, networking humans and ideas. Thus, maritime collections are inscribed with meanings that are embedded in historical circumstances and, consequently, should be treated as having numerous layers upon them, each one with a different interpretation. But what can these collections tell us about the stories of past seafarers and their communities? Are collections and exhibitions of geographically-spread maritime cultures able to support the understanding of challenging concepts, such as that of insularity, or the concept of seafaring and maritime activities in regard to building or modelling a more diverse community? Also, of interest is the impact of maritime activity on international linkages, both economic and cultural. Could maritime collections reveal issues of how sea was perceived by past and contemporary societies? With this call for papers we welcome a range of submissions on the following themes: Theoretical (and interdisciplinary) perspectives regarding the preservation and reconstruction of maritime heritage Constructing and representing identities of maritime communities Memory in the maritime museum Planning exhibitions of maritime history: problems and opportunities Case studies on the interpretation of maritime past Maritime archaeology in maritime museums Maritime collections/exhibitions and communities Learning activities and the maritime collection: interpretation issues Maritime collections/exhibitions and school groups Using maritime collections in research Please submit an abstract (max 350 words) by 27 November 2009 to the guest editors: Helen Beneki Maritime historian Head of Research & Communication Department Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation Athens, Greece e-mail: BenekiE@piraeusbank.gr Dr James P. Delgado, Ph.D. President and CEO Institute of Nautical Archaeology Texas A&M University, USA e-mail: jpdelgado@tamu.edu Dr Anastasia Filippoupoliti Museologist Democritus University of Thrace, Greece e-mail: afilipp@gmail.com The Editor, Laurajane Smith http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/authors/rjhsauth.asp E-mail: ls18@york.ac.uk

Indigenous Perspectives one day seminar: provisional details

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:05:05 +0000

Indigenous Perspectives 9.30am - 4.30pm on Monday 12th October. Pierian Centre, Bristol www.pieriancentre.com Indigenous Perspectives is a conference on Monday 12th October, celebrating the 2nd anniversary of the signing of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It brings together representatives of indigenous peoples from all over the world plus campaigners and academics who specialise in different aspects of the subject. The conference is an opportunity to hear the indigenous voice in all its variety, and to find out how close to silence and extinction it is being pushed. The pressure that the modern world is putting on indigenous cultures is genocidal and the loss will be ours as much as theirs. The technical knowledge and human wisdom contained in these cultures is irreplacable. It has been evolved through a close and dependent relationship with ancestral land and as the outside world bulldozes them off their land and outlaws the speaking of their tongues, it loses sight of the crucial lessons it could learn from these ancient and stable societies. Among the peoples represented at the Pierian Centre on 12th October will be the Mapuche, West Papuans, Tibetans, the Jumma of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the I-Kiribati of the Pacific and others, along with outside experts, campaigners and academics. These individuals will introduce us to the extraordinary variety of ways in which mankind has survived, adapted and flourished and the richness of the cultures that have resulted. We will also learn of the danger these peoples are in and what they need us to do to help. The conference falls with heavy irony on Columbus Day (12th October) but a month earlier, on Sunday 13th September, an evening of music, arts and culture will celebrate the precise anniversary of the signing of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007. The conference though will give the fullest possible introduction to the different fields in which the imminent tragedy of the worlds indigenous peoples will be played out: the fields of human rights and legality, of ecology and land use, of anthropology and ethnography, of economics, of arts and spirituality and the indivisible field of common humanity. The conference also coincides with the 40th year of Survival Internationals invaluable work. If you are interested in attending please contact us on info@pieriancentre.com or 0117 924 4512. The Conference will be on Monday 12th October, with Registration at 9.30am for a 10am start finishing at 4.30pm. It will take place at The Pierian Centre, 27 Portland Square, St Pauls, Bristol BS2 8SA. The day rate includes lunch & refreshments please ring for details. Sessions & Seminars: Opening Plenary. Introduction to the shape and character of the day. The days main speakers introduce themselves and their cultures. Screening of Survivals short film Mine (16 mins). Small-group Seminars 45 minutes each delegates choose 4 seminars to attend from the full menu of 6. Session A Embera Cultural Performances as a Gateway to the Globalized World. This presentation from Dr Dimitrios Theodossopoulos (Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology, University of Bristol) looks at how the Embera of Panama are using tourism to help the survival of their cultural identity. Session B In the Face of Force. This seminar explores the experience of military & para-miltary force amongst the Jumma, Mapuche & West Papuans also covering the use and accountability of UN Peacekeepers. It is presented by Benny Wenda, Reynaldo Mariqueo and Ina Hume. Session C Sustaining Traditional Identity. This is a participatory workshop run by Ugyen Choephell exploring ways in which ancient cultural identities can be maintained despite exile & oppression. Session D Patterns of Indigenous Genocide in the Archipelago of Tierra del Fuego. A presentation by Carlos Gigoux of Essex University. Session E The Roots of Meaning. This seminar explores the relationship of the West Papuans and the Jumma to their land and also looks at the use of ICTs in campaigns around land rights. It is presented by Benny Wenda and Ina Hume. Session F Citizenship vs Tradition. This seminar examines tensions between traditional authority and Western models. Can the two be reconciled? In the now-independent Kiribati islands the council of elders is in conflict with the islands' High Court about who has ultimate authority. Among the Mapuche is there an easy choice or a difficult compromise? Do the Mapuche simply want the same legal protections as other Chilean citizen, or do they want their traditional identities as members of a differently-structured people recognised & protected? With Beta Turpin and Reynaldo Mariqueo. Closing Plenary. The main speakers summarize the issues facing their people and the practical steps that can help them. The Anchorage Declaration on climate change and what we can learn from indigenous peoples. A summary of responses to the day. Discussion.

Museum Curators and Communities: Embedded Approaches to Participation, Collaboration, Inclusion

admin@museumethnographersgroup.org.uk (Museum Ethnographers Group) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:48:36 +0000

The Horniman Museum and the Department of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester 2 day Conference Museum Curators and Communities: Embedded Approaches to Participation, Collaboration, Inclusion. 26 27 November 2009 Since the beginning of the 1990s, there has been significant academic interest in and publications about the relation between museums and communities. In part this is due to changes in the museum and heritage sectors, including new concerns over funding as well as increased competition from non-museum organisations purporting to offer the authentic heritage experience. There have also been some curatorial initiatives from within the museum for more collaborative approaches. However, two other factors have been key to this change of focus. First, neo-liberal state policies that encouraged collaborative approaches to governance, while at the same time divesting state responsibilities for some citizen services. Second, museum visitors demanded more consultation and inclusion as they embraced reified categories like community. In line with these developments, museums have been forced to re-examine themselves in relation to communities. In an effort to ensure higher levels of community engagement, many museums strengthened their learning teams and improved the quality and number of learning programmes. Within recent years museums in Britain have moved beyond community engagement and towards a more active community participation. These strategies have borne fruits and the shift has resulted in what many may call a more engaged museum. But how have these changes impacted on curatorial practice? One effect that has been expressed is that museums have been criticised for dumbing down for audiences. In some instances curators have found themselves at odds with exhibition and public programme specialists about the level of academic content. What these responses suggest is a dualistic relationship that places curatorial integrity at one extreme and community engagement at the other. But why are these seen as oppositional? Is it possible to be a museum that is led by a strong community participation ethos while at the same time maintaining strong curatorial integrity? In this conference, we would like to explore contemporary movements beyond narrow, dualistic conceptions of curatorial practice versus community, towards new collaborative paradigms within museums. The Horniman Museum and the Department of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester want to rethink concepts such as community and participation. We are interested in unpacking such taken for granted notions which can gloss over the complexity of community identities and lead to tokenistic claims of inclusion by museums. We want to engage participants in discussions on what, more precisely, is meant by these key terms and concepts and try to identify new models of practice for working with communities. In this two-day conference, museum scholars, practitioners and others involved in the heritage sector will discuss methodologies that can be adopted to ensure that neither community participation nor curatorial integrity suffer in the process of reaching different publics. Can community participation be integrated into curatorial practice in substantive ways? How can new media and other technological innovations contribute to curatorial practices that are more inclusive? Many conferences have been held on community engagement and participation in recent years. In this conference, we would like to concentrate on curatorial practice. We will critically examine several best practice examples to see if these provide a better model for doing community participation. There are plans for our findings to be published and disseminated to the wider academic/museum community. If you would like to present a paper, please submit an abstract of your proposed paper to: wmodest@horniman.ac.uk or vmg4@leicester.ac.uk. Abstracts should be submitted by 1st September 2009, be no more than 200 words and include your name and institutional affiliation. You may also submit an idea for a panel. Panel submission should include a description of no more that 300 words, with name, institutional affiliation and abstracts for the proposed members of the panel. Wayne Modest Keeper of Anthropology Horniman Museum 100 London Road London SE23 3PQ Tel: 020 8699 1872 Fax: 020 8699 4030 www.horniman.ac.uk Dr Viv Golding Director of PhD Research Lecturer in Communication and Education Department of Museum Studies University of Leicester 105 Princess Road East, Leicester LE1 7LG Tel +44 (0)1162523975 Fax +44 (0)1162523960 www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies