Dear all – advance notice that the next meeting of MIVSS will be on 29 June at Keele University, on the subject of Victorian Things Revisited. The call for papers is below.

Victorian Things Revisited, Keele University, 29th June 2012

The Victorian fascination with objects and things has been reflected in the last twenty years in what has come to be known as the ‘material turn’ of Victorian Studies. The emergence of ‘thing theory’ and its offshoots has provided new ways of thinking about the social, political, religious and aesthetic dimensions of material culture. What do Victorian things currently mean to us and what still needs to be debated and understood? ‘Victorian Things Revisited’ is a one-day meeting of the Midlands Interdisciplinary Victorian Studies Seminar (the event will take place from approx 11.30am to 5pm, exact timings tbc). We invite papers on any aspect of researching and teaching the subject of material culture. Topics might include:

Commoditisation
Fetishism
The ‘Social Life’ of things
Curiosities
Relics
Bric-à-Brac
Waste and Recycling
Collecting/Museums/Archives
Objects and the uncanny

Please send ideas for papers of 20-30 minutes length to Jonathan Shears (j.r.shears@engl.keele.ac.uk) and Kate Hill (khill@lincoln.ac.uk) by 31 May 2012. This is an informal event and we do not require full conference-type proposals – and please do not exceed 250 words. You do not have to live or work in the Midlands, but preference may be given to those who do.

As usual, travel bursaries will be available to postgraduate students on a first come first served basis – there will be 5 bursaries of £20, though if there is not much uptake we may be able to provide more help with travel costs to individuals. Please contact Kate Hill (khill@lincoln.ac.uk) if you are interested in applying for a travel bursary.

MIVSS is supported by BAVS