CALL FOR PAPERS

Dear All,

The Institute of Archaeology, University College London is hosting a conference "Wrapping and Unwrapping the Body - Archaeological and Anthropological Perspectives", 20th-21st May 2010. With this email we are circulating a call for papers and hope that you and your colleagues will be interested. We would like to circulate this as widely as possible and hope you will help by forwarding to colleagues you think may be interested.

With best wishes,

Susanna Harris and Laurence Douny

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*"Wrapping and Unwrapping the Body – Archaeological and Anthropological Perspectives". *

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*A conference hosted by the Institute of Archaeology, UCL, 31-34 Gordon Square, London, WC1H 0PY, 20^th -21^st May 2010. *

*Call for papers*

This conference will bring together archaeologists and anthropologists to discuss the concept and practice of wrapping and unwrapping the body.

Through this we hope to:

* To develop the idea of wrapping materials and wrapping as a

process in archaeology and anthropology.

* To develop a better understanding of cross cultural conceptions of

the human body through understanding wrapping in particular time

and space settings.

* To allow an exchange of ideas between archaeology and anthropology.

*Conference Abstract*

Wrapping the body, whether through clothing, in burial or other transforming processes, requires malleable materials that envelope the body. Such materials have properties and efficacy that act on the body or the perception of the body; they may be textiles, fibres, skins, feathers, fur, clay or thin metals. As a cultural and technical act, wrapping is a form of containment that can be used to conceal and reveal, camouflage or highlight, transform and exhibit, conserve and preserve. Wrapping offers the potential to interpret these materials in a cultural context by posing the questions; what is being covered and from who, what is being revealed and why? How does wrapping change the body through the permanent or temporary artificial modification of body shape? How is the dead body displayed and revealed through wrapping?

What is the socio-cultural symbolism and meaning of wrapping and how does this change across time and space?

Although common to archaeologists and anthropologists, wrapping the body has different traditions of research. In archaeology, there is a strong tradition of the analysis and identification of the materials used for wrapping such as textiles, skins, clay and fibres, the analysis of clothing, the structure of garments and the use of dress fastenings.

Archaeologists also explore the presentation of the dead, both in the past and in museum presentation. In anthropology, the strength of research is in the process and efficacy of wrapping. Anthropologists document wrapping products and the particular cognitive processes of wrapping and knowledge transmission through the daily and ritual uses of wrapping as masquerades and performance, burials, fashion, aesthetics and trading. Relationships between the body, wrapping, mutual transformations and containment can be identified in processes such as wrapping in tattoos, for curing and healing and for shaping the body.

For archaeologists the combined approach with anthropology offers the opportunity to explore the wide variation in the process and interpretation of wrapping. For anthropologists the past perspective provides an understanding of change and innovation in the long term.

*We invite researchers to submit papers for one of three sessions:

*Session I: Wrapping as transformation process

Session II: Wrapping the living

Session III: Wrapping the dead

Please note we are also looking for new images that convey the idea of wrapping and unwrapping. Practical demonstrations on wrapping techniques will also be considered.

*Deadline for 200 word abstract: 30^th October 2009. *Remember to include your name, affiliation and the session the paper is being submitted for. * *Email abstracts and questions to: ioa-wrapping@ucl.ac.uk <mailto:ioa-wrapping@ucl.ac.uk>http://www.ucl.ac.uk/silva/archaeology/events/conference/wrapping10/

*Conference organisers:* Dr Susanna Harris (Institute of Archaeology,

UCL) & Dr Laurence Douny (Department of Anthropology, UCL).

*Publication:*

We plan to publish a volume on wrapping the body and wrapping objects including papers from this conference and a session at TAG.

*Updates will be posted on:*

*Note on TAG session:* the conference organisers are hosting a related session "Wrapping Objects" at TAG 2009, which will be held at Durham University17th-19^th December