Call for Papers, deadline – 12 January 2024
Academics and independent researchers at all levels are invited to submit an abstract for this one-day interdisciplinary conference which examines the intersection between love and material culture within the arts and humanities. Philosophers, historians, theologians, and literary scholars have identified love in myriad ways: its conception as a cultural practice, something which is rooted in a feeling of being at home, a form of madness, a form of ‘self-disclosure’ which is exemplified in the divine, a tool of power and politics, and something which might be produced from a tension between feelings and duty. These discussions have been further developed by recent research which connects emotions and material culture; scholars have suggested how material objects might serve as the locus for emotions, effecting change for people’s emotions, or contributing to memories and remembrance.
Examining love within material objects offers insights into the value and experience of love; as objects are imagined, created, and utilised in a variety of ways within particular communities and contexts, conceptions of love are realised. We, therefore, welcome submissions from all historical and geographical regions noting how love might be identified, valued, or experienced through a variety of material sources.
Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
Material symbols of love
Stories of love in Museums or cultural institutions
Love in the archives
Religious devotion and material objects
Representations of love in literature
Fashions of love
Expressing love through gifts
Representations of love in art
Love and consumer culture
Love and food
Love and objects of religious belief
Representations of love in film and media
Please send proposals of no more than 200 words to angela.platt@stmarys.ac.uk
More details: https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/research/centres/history-and-public-pasts/conference-love-material-culture.aspx