PCAACA National Conference (Apr 2020, Philadelphia, USA)

Dates: 15-18 April 2020
Location: Philadelpha, Pennsylvania, USA
Website: PCAACA National Conf
Deadline for submissions: 1 November 2019

The study of material culture offers an exciting area for interdisciplinary research and conversation, as it brings together those engaged in scholarly inquiry in areas as diverse as history, art history, design, decorative arts, cultural studies, consumer studies, literature, communications, anthropology, sociology, and beyond. Of particular interest are papers that address human-made material objects as primary source material for anthropological, geographical, sociological, historical, or area studies; papers that refer to contexts of various sorts in order to determine the origins, functions, or uses of human- made material objects; or methodological papers that theorize and critique “material culture” as a discipline for humanistic inquiry.  Past presentations in this area have focused on decorative arts and the construction of literary characters; the material culture of poverty; commemorative items; historic and modern furnishings; fashion, branding, and marketing trends; alternative culture and industrial space… indeed, there are a lot of possibilities! Professional academics, graduate students, museum professionals, and independent scholars are all encouraged to apply.

We are considering proposals for sessions organized around a theme, special panels, and/or individual papers.  Sessions are scheduled in 1½ hour slots, typically with four papers or speakers per standard session.  Panel proposals of four speakers are also encouraged and should include the following:

Panel Titl
Name and contact information for the Panel Chair
Titles and abstracts of each paper
Contact information for each presenter

Proposals should take the form of an abstract of up to 250 words and must be submitted electronically no later than 1 November 2019.   Other helpful dates and deadlines are as follows:

1 August                      Database Opens for Submission
1 October                    Early Bird Registration Opens
1 November                Deadline for Paper Proposals and Endowment Grants
1 December                Early Bird Registration Rate Ends
1 January                    Regular Registration Ends
2 January                    Late Registration Begin
15 January 2020          Brigman and Jones Awards Deadline
20 January 2020          Preliminary Program Available
1 February 2020          Registration Ends; participants not registered will be removed from the program

To submit your proposal, go to https://pcaaca.org/help/conference/submitting-proposals-conference and follow the instructions for creating an account. All submissions must be made through the conference submission site.  All presenters must be members of the PCA and must register for the conference.  Travel and research grants are available: https://pcaaca.org/resources/applying-pca-endowment-travel-grants.

Please send any inquiries to the Area Chair for Material Culture, Dr. Heidi C. Nickisher.