Things made in 1600 hardly seem "modern" to me.  
 
Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.
 
 
In a message dated 3/23/2009 2:28:36 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

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
[log in to unmask] 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/

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