07.07.2011
Itineraries of the Material. Shifting Contexts of Value and Things in Time and Space
International Conference 06-08 Oktober 2011, Frankfurt am Main
Objects are characterized by temporal continuity, embodying a
prior
existence with lingering effects. This continuity is in perpetual
flux,
leaving visible traces of the object's age, usage, and previous life.
While
travelling through time, objects also circulate through space, and
their
spatial mobility alters their meaning and use with respect to their
new
cultural horizons. As objects transform through time and space, so does
the
value attributed to them. Mapping out the itineraries of value in the
realm
of the material allows us to grasp both the nature of a given
social
formation through the shape and meaning taken on by its valued stuff;
and
the nature of the material through the value ascribed to objects at
a
given point in time and space.
This conference will bring together studies of material culture,
materiality
and value with regard to the mobility of objects, with the aim of
tracing
the ways in which societies constitute their valued objects and the
realm of
the material reflects upon society.
Kontakt
Research training group "Value and Equivalence"
Goethe-University - Campus Westend
Grüneburgplatz 1, Fach 136
60629 Frankfurt am Main
www.value-and-equivalence.de
