Women in the Archives: Organizing Knowledge
April 15-16, 2011
Brown University
Papers are now being invited for Women in the Archives, a two-day conference
co-sponsored by the Women Writers Project and the Sarah Doyle Women's Center
at Brown University.
Women in the Archives explores the use of archival materials in the study of
women's writing, and the construction of disciplinary practices in archival
research and pedagogy. This year our theme is "Organizing Knowledge",
focusing on systems of knowledge representation in relation to different
kinds of archival practice. Papers might address themes such as the
following:
* how do knowledge representation/management systems operate in the
archive, and how do they instantiate or intervene in the legibility of
archival materials?
* how can we read the gender politics of knowledge organization
systems in the archive?
* how do pedagogical practices shape our interaction with such
systems?
* what would it mean to read against the grain of archival systems of
organization?
* how does discipline shape our understanding and use of the archive?
The larger concerns of the Women in the Archives series as a whole include:
* pedagogy and interdisciplinary pedagogies
* issues of gender in the construction of archival spaces
* material modes of textuality across disciplines
* technologies of research and teaching, and the impact of digital
media on the archive
* new directions in archival research
* editing archival materials
This year, in addition to regular paper sessions, we are experimenting with
two new kinds of presentations:
1. A pecha-kucha-style session of short, fast-paced presentations that will
let participants present work in progress in a vivid and memorable form. The
session promises to be both entertaining and provocative.
2. Poster presentations, which will be mounted in the conference space for
attention during breaks
For more information about these formats please see
http://www.wwp.brown.edu/about/activities/wia/formats.html.
To submit a pecha-kucha proposal, please send a one-page statement which
includes:
--one question your research is trying to answer
--two people whose work stimulated your current project
--three people whose work you hope your project will influence
--four questions you think your project raises that you'd like to pose to
the audience
--the five most interesting sources you're consulting (archival or critical)
with a brief quote from each
--a brief paragraph in which you supply any other detail you think will be
helpful to us
To submit a paper or poster proposal, please send an abstract of not more
than 300 words.
Please send all proposals to WWP@brown.edu by January 15, 2011.
