The Global History and Culture Centre at the University of Warwick has issued a call for papers for its upcoming conference on "Global Commodities: The Material Culture of Early Modern Connections, 1400-1800," to be held on December 12-14, 2012. The organizers explain: "This conference seeks to explore how our understanding of early modern global connections changes if we consider the role material culture played in shaping such connections."Contributions in the following areas are particularly welcome, though the list is not intended to be exclusive:
specific commodities, luxuries and artistic objects, including traded goods, rarities, objects in cabinets of curiosities and their role in elite and non-elite consumption;Papers should be no more than twenty minutes long. Proposals for sessions of three or four papers are also welcome. To submit a proposal, please send a 200-word abstract of the proposed paper, together with a one-page CV, to ghcc.conferences@warwick.ac.uk or via mail to Global History and Culture Centre, Department of History, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK. The closing date for proposals is June 1, 2012.
the role of nodes (ports and ships, custom and auction houses, courts and cities) in the global exchange of goods;
production for global markets/distant markets, with special reference to issues of design, customization and quality.
Please see the complete call for papers for additional details.