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SUMMARY:Studying the Provenance of Written Artefacts: Methods\, Ethics\, a
 nd Law
DTSTART:20270414T070000Z
DTEND:20270416T130000Z
DTSTAMP:20260618T165800Z
UID:indico-event-758@www.conferences.uni-hamburg.de
CONTACT:conference.csmc@uni-hamburg.de
DESCRIPTION:Over the last decades\, provenance studies have become an inte
 gral aspect of art history and cultural heritage studies. Yet\, the proven
 ance of written artefacts has remained understudied\, even though their st
 ories evolve in response to significant events\, including colonialism\, a
 nd changes in cultural practices of individuals\, institutions\, or commun
 ities. For various reasons\, determining the complete chronology of a cult
 ural object’s successive locations and affiliations can be challenging\,
  especially when illicit trade is involved.\nThe Centre for the Study of M
 anuscript Cultures (CSMC) and its Cluster of Excellence\, ‘Understanding
  Written Artefacts’ (UWA)\, published recommendations for ethical and re
 sponsible research. These include establishing the provenance of written a
 rtefacts\, that is\, the chronology of ownership\, custody or location of 
 archaeological or historical cultural objects from their production contex
 t to the present day.\nIn order to establish and advance the study of the 
 provenance of written artefacts as a field of research\, the conference wi
 ll focus on the methodologies\, tools and implications involved in tracing
  the history of such artefacts\, that is any artificial or natural object 
 with visual signs applied by humans. The following topics of discussion ar
 e envisaged\, and we welcome submissions for papers that fall into these d
 ifferent topics:\n\nMethodological frameworks to trace the provenance of w
 ritten artefacts\, with a particular focus on building comprehensive docum
 entation and taking into account the distinction between an artefact’s o
 rigin and its full life cycle.\nMaterial analyses in reconstructing the hi
 story of written artefacts.\nDigital tools\, including those based on AI\,
  and databases available to support provenance research.\nArchival provena
 nce (of written artefacts preserved together) vs individual cases (of item
 s dispersed across different collections and institutions).\nEthical aspec
 ts: What responsibilities do scholars and institutions have when dealing w
 ith the provenance of written artefacts\, especially unprovenanced or illi
 citly acquired ones?\nLegal aspects and policies concerning the ownership\
 , transfer\, and display of written artefacts\, including their digital re
 presentations.\n\nTo encourage deeper engagement\, case study sessions wil
 l enable participants to explore these issues hands-on. Each session will 
 conclude with a round-table discussion that shifts towards a more theoreti
 cal perspective\, featuring contributions from museum professionals and pr
 ovenance specialists.\nCall for Papers\nWe invite proposals for 20-min pre
 sentations\, including a title\, an abstract of 400 words (half a page) an
 d a short CV (1 page) before 31 July 2026 to conference.csmc@uni-hamburg.d
 e. Proposals must be submitted in English. Abstracts will be reviewed by t
 he organisers and the Scientific Committee. There will be no conference fe
 es. Costs for travel and accommodation will be covered for accepted speake
 rs.\nKey dates:\n31 July 2026 - Deadline for proposal submissions\n30 Sept
 ember 2026 - Notification of acceptance\n14-16 April 2027 - Conference dat
 e\n\nhttps://www.conferences.uni-hamburg.de/event/758/
LOCATION:R 0001 (pavilion) (Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (C
 SMC))
URL:https://www.conferences.uni-hamburg.de/event/758/
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