Students of the course "Matter, Materiality and Material Culture" are organising a symposium on conflict within and beyond archaeology. In the symposium, you'll delve into the materiality of time periods embedded with friction, from civil wars and colonial eras to radical social movements. What can be gleaned from competing theories when applied to the same collection of objects?  And what political and personal disputes are raised by archaeological and museological practices? Ultimately, the organisers pose the question: what can material theory reveal about "conflict", in the broadest sense of the term? Through a combination of presentations and panel discussions, the symposium invites an interdisciplinary exploration of this topic, rooted in an engagement with material culture.

Send in your work by 20 November

Are you working on research that could be a good fit for the symposium? Then you can submit your abstract or presentation proposal (max. 300 words) to contestedpasts.contestedpractices@outlook.comExternal link by 20 November 2026. The organisers welcome a diversity of presenters, beyond the fields of archaeology and heritage, as well as creative and interactive presentation formats. Accepted participants will be notified by the first week of December.