Past IRTN Events
IRTN Travel Bursaries are available for all the following events. Application forms can be downloaded her
14 May 2008, 2pm - 4.30pm
Dr Claire Gorrara (School of European Studies, Cardiff University)
Cardiff University
This three-hour workshop will explore the role of memory in shaping aspects of European cultural identities. The workshop will address the following questions: what is memory, how do we define it as a conscious act of remembrance? Are there different forms of memory and, if so, how do we distinguish between them? Are there certain conditions, places, events which play a significant role in memory work and, if so, how do they relate to questions of national and European identity? Can we speak of a 'politics of memory'? What role do cultural products play in the complex interface between remembering and forgetting? How do individuals participate in wider memory practices? Through attendance at this workshop, participants will:
? be introduced to models of memory and memorial practice within a European frame
? have developed their appreciation of the role played by cultural products in the dual project of memory and identity formation
? have gained a greater understanding of the interface between culture, history and memory
The Critical Theory 'Toolbox': A User's Guide
27 May 2008, 2.00pm - 4.00pm
Professor Ian Buchanan (School of English, Communication and Philosophy, Cardiff University)
Cardiff University
This workshop will serve as a brief introduction to critical theory and offer a user’s guide to its application in humanities and social sciences research. It will provide a brief history of critical theory, identifying its key theorists and most important conceptual innovations. The workshop will approach critical theory as a ‘toolbox’ for creating new problem solutions in research and show how its tools can be accessed and utilised. Through attendance at the workshop, participants will be:
? familiar with the history of critical theory
? able to identify the key theorists and main concepts in critical theory
? able to reflect critically on the usefulness of critical theory for advanced research in
humanities and social science
Material Culture: A one-day interdisciplinary training conference for (post)graduate students.
28th May, 09.30 - 16.30
Convened by the Humanities Division of the University of Oxford.
To be held at the Museum of the History of Science and the Ashmolean Museum.
Oxford University
This training conference will provoke questions around the role of objects in research and on disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to material culture. In particular, the conference reflects on the convergence of the past and the present in objects, the role of museums and technology in mediating that convergence, trends in research into material culture, and the approaches to the use of objects that a researcher new to the field might consider.
Speakers include:
Dr. Jim Bennett (Director of the Museum of the History of Science)
Professor Alan Bowman (Papyrology in Ancient History)
Dr. Inge Daniels (Social Anthropology)
Professor Chris Gosden (Archaeology)
Dr. Geraldine Johnson (History of Art)
This event will be of interest to any graduate students (Masters or PhD/DPhil):
- who want to cross disciplines in the course of their research project
- who want to enhance their knowledge of material culture and the role it could play in their own research
- who want to find a new angle to take on research into physical objects
- who are considering a research proposal that includes an element of material culture
- who know nothing about material culture and want to find out what it’s all about
To sign up for the day and reserve your spot, email: debbie.mcvitty@humanities.ox.ac.uk with your name, area of study and institutional affiliation. The event poster is available here
No prior knowledge of material culture is required and registration is free.
30 May 2008
CRASSH, Cambridge University
The body has proved to be a powerful concept for articulating questions
that span gender, technology, interrogations of subjectivity and 'the
human' itself. This workshop is designed to reflect on the range of
meanings and theoretical understandings that surround the mobile
concept of the body. It is practically designed for Arts and
Humanities students working across disciplines, but will also be of
interest to those in the social sciences.
