Antiquity in the Archives: A Colloquium on Access, Approach and the Archival Turn
May 30 & 31, 2022
Hosted by MF CASR & the Norwegian Institute in Rome.
Contact: Mary Jane Cuyler (mary.j.cuyler@mf.no).
May 30-31, 2022
Norwegian Institute in Rome (Viale Trenta Aprile, 33, Rome)
New: Download program below!
Archival enquiries are becoming an increasingly important aspect of the study of antiquity and its material remains. Reasons for this are manifold: A growing concern around the vast quantities of unpublished and under-published data, the advent of digitization, and a rising interest in the “archival turn”—the ideological underpinnings, cultural forces and other factors that shape an archive.
Scholars often encounter significant roadblocks as they learn how to access, work with, and analyze the body of evidence represented by an archive. At the same time, those scholars in charge of archives or libraries may encounter difficulties in ensuring that the archival materials they oversee are both discoverable and accessible to the specialists who might work with them.
On May 30–31, 2022 the Norwegian Institute at Rome and MF CASR will host a two-day colloquium that places issues of archival enquiry at the center of the conversation. We invite scholars from the fields of archival studies, archaeology, mediaeval studies, art history, and related disciplines to present an archival “case study” with a special focus on the methodological and theoretical approach and practical experience.
Examples of archival case studies might include:
- A discussion or presentation of an archival collection
- Unexpected or surprise discoveries of something “hidden” in an archive
- Studying materials from diverse archival sources (visual/audio/written etc.) to form a new conceptual or virtual archive
- The examination of physical artifacts or objects described or depicted in archives
Methodological, theoretical and practical issues might include:
- The archival turn and archival gaps (what factors influenced the shape or contents of an archive? What is missing from the archive, and how do we bridge the gaps?)
- Knowledge and networks (How can the archive of a person, institution, or project be located? How can related archives be identified? How do we learn, or make known, what the archives contain?)
- Access and ethics (How can we navigate the challenges of access? How to we avoid overburdening the staffs of collections? How do we deal with “off-limits” or carefully guarded collections? Should some archives be “off-limits” due to ethical considerations?
- Interpretation and publication (How do we determine an appropriate methodological approach? Can we develop a theoretical vocabulary of archival studies? What are effective and ethical methods of publishing archival materials?)
Abstract of ca. 500 words may be sent to Mary Jane Cuyler (mary.j.cuyler@mf.no) by April 20, 2022. Presentations may be 15 or 20 minutes (please indicate length in abstract). Presentations in English and Italian are welcome.
A small number of bursaries are available to offset conference expenses for promising young scholars (postdoc, PhD, MA level) who do not have financial support from their home institutions. Those wishing to be considered for a bursary may include a document (not more than one page) briefly describing how their participation in the colloquium will benefit their own work, and how it will contribute to the overall aims of the event.