Supported by:

The Humanities Institute of Ireland

The Department of Archaeology, UCD

The Anthropological Association of Ireland

Talking Objects: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Material Culture Studies

The Timetable for the conference is outlined below. Click Here for a copy of the timetable in Word format.

Material Culture is currently one of the most provocative interdisciplinary fields in the social sciences and humanities. Different disciplines are developing many ways of looking at human cultures and societies through objects and artefacts. This conference aimed to promote cross-disciplinary material culture studies in Ireland by bringing together by invitation a number of respected international speakers from anthropology, archaeology and museum studies to talk about their current work. The day comprised seven papers and a discussion session on interdisciplinary approaches, starting with coffee and registration at 9.30am.

The Time and the Place:

• Thursday 31st March 2005
• University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
• Room 326, Engineering Building, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4

Speakers Included:

• Victor Buchli, Department of Anthropology, University College London
• Chris Fowler, School of Historical Studies, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
• Inge Daniels, Royal College of Art, London
• Elizabeth Crooke, Academy of Irish Cultural Heritages, University of Ulster
• Kevin Hetherington, The Open University
• Siân Jones, School of Art History and Archaeology, University of Manchester
• Melanie Giles, School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester

The conference was organised by:

• Pauline Garvey, Department of Anthropology, NUI Maynooth (pauline.a.garvey@nuim.ie)
• Joanna Brück, Department of Archaeology, University College Dublin (joanna.bruck@ucd.ie)
• Adam Drazin, Department of Sociology, Trinity College Dublin (drazina@tcd.ie)

Timetable and Titles of Papers

9.30am Coffee, Tea and Registration

10.00 – 11.20 First Session

Chaired by Pauline Garvey, Department of Anthropology, NUI Maynooth

Kevin Hetherington, The Open University: Material Culture: issues of consumption and disposal

Chris Fowler, School of Historical Studies, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Fragments of the Self - personhood, material culture and archaeology

11,20 – 11.40 Coffee and Tea

11.40 – 1.00 Second Session

Chaired by Joanna Brück, Department of Archaeology, University College Dublin

Elizabeth Crooke, Academy of Irish Cultural Heritages, University of Ulster: Empowering objects: the material culture of heritage as community

Siân Jones, School of Art History and Archaeology, University of Manchester: Making Place, Resisting Displacement: monuments, meaning, and resistance in the Scottish Highlands

1.00 – 2.00 Lunch

2.00 – 3.20 Third Session

Chaired by Adam Drazin, IRCHSS Government-of-Ireland Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin

Inge Daniels, Royal College of Art, London: The Material Culture of Luck: the efficacy of Japanese auspicious gifts

Melanie Giles, School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester: Making Metal and Forging Relations: transformational power in the Iron Age

3.20 – 3.40 Tea and Coffee

3.40 – 5.00 Fourth Session and Discussion

Chaired by Gabriel Cooney, Department of Archaeology, University College Dublin

Victor Buchli, Department of Anthropology, University College London: Materiality, Material Culture and Social Efficacy

Followed by a General Discussion

Last Updated: 11.04.2005