The Substance of Sacred Place:
An Interdisciplinary Workshop on Locative Materiality
organised by Laura Veneskey and Annette Hoffmann

20th/21st June 2013
Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz - Max-Planck-Institut

The study of holy places has long been a central concern of not only
the humanities, but also the social sciences. Much of this body of
scholarship has focused on pilgrimage and sacred centers, either as
theoretical constructions or as concrete places, such as Jerusalem,
Mecca or Benares. These subjects have been explored, on the one hand,
through the study of ritual and liturgy, and on the other, through
various modes of representation, be they architectural, cartographic,
iconic, or textual. Complementary to these lines of inquiry, we invite
papers that explore the material and tactile dimensions of locative
sacrality across religious traditions. How is a sense of place
communicable through physical means? What can a consideration of
matter tell us about the often fraught relationship between the
tangible world and its representation?

We seek analyses of all materials evocative of a particular sacred
milieu, not only earth, dust, stone, but also wood, metal, pigments,
oil, or water. Presentations exploring either the substances and
places themselves or textual and iconic depictions thereof are equally
welcome. We invite papers from all disciplines on any locale conceived
of as sacred, whether scriptural, pilgrim, monastic, ascetic, or
cultic, between antiquity and the early modern period. The workshop is
aimed at young researchers, and is intended to bring together graduate
students, postdoctoral scholars, and those in the early stages of
their teaching or professional careers.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
- Sacred landscapes (deserts, mountains, caves, etc.)
- The material dimensions of topographic representation (iconic or
textual)
- Earthen, geographic, and locative relics
- Transportable versus site-specific sanctity
- The physicality of built environments and places of worship

Interested applicants should send a current c.v. and an abstract of no
more than 250 words (for presentations of twenty minutes) to
hoffmannkhi.fi.it and lv2308columbia.edu). Proposals must be
received by date 30th November 2012.

For questions and further information please contact:
Laura Veneskey (lv2308columbia.edu)
or Annette Hoffmann (hoffmannkhi.fi.it)