Call for Papers
Objects of remembrance
a special issue of the Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts

Objects have always been and continue to be carriers of personal and
communal memories. The proliferation of objects of remembrance starting
in the nineteenth century speaks to the widely felt desire for tangible
markers of both fleeting personal experiences and significant public
events, from coronations to catastrophes; and equally to the
possibilities created by new production processes and technologies that
emerged in that century and after. What was particular to modern notions
and experiences of time that called forth this demand for souvenirs,
commemorative medals and ceramics, postcards, photo albums, and a wide
variety of other objects of all kinds that could serve as devices of
memory? What roles did such objects play in individual lives, in
communities, and in larger social and political relationships? What
strategies did artists, designers and manufacturers use to produce
objects that could serve these functions?

We invite proposals for a collection of essays—to be published as a
special issue of the Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts
(DAPA)—that address objects of remembrance during the modern era. Our
aim is to promote an interdisciplinary approach to objects that served
as carriers of memory. Essays may explore such dimensions as design,
decoration, manufacture, dissemination, and marketing, as well as the
meanings and affective attachments that objects acquire once they have
passed into the hands of their owners. Contributions from any field in
the humanities—including history, art history, design history, cultural
studies, gender studies, anthropology, ethnography, and others—are
welcome.

The chronological focus for the special issue is from the mid-nineteenth
century through 1945, but contributions that extend these parameters
will be considered, as will essays that engage contemporary practices
applied to historical artifacts. High quality visual documentation is a
key aim of DAPA: each essay should include between twelve and twenty
illustrations. Essays should be between 4,000 and 6,000 words.

Abstracts of no longer than 500 words should be submitted by May 31 to
both of the editors, at the email addresses provided below. Abstracts
should identify as specifically as possible the illustrations to be
included. Authors will be responsible for obtaining the rights to
publish images, but the journal will offer reimbursements to cover a
part of these costs. The editors will notify contributors by June 20
that they have been invited to submit a first draft of their essay, due
October 1.


The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts was established in 1986
and is published by The Wolfsonian–Florida International University, a
museum and research center in Miami Beach, Florida. The goal of DAPA is
to publish new scholarship on the visual and material culture of the
second half of the nineteenth century and first half of the twentieth,
focusing particular attention on often-overlooked media such as
decorative arts and propaganda, alongside fine arts, architecture, and
industrial and graphic design. DAPA aims to reach a broad audience,
including specialists in art history, architectural history, and
cultural studies, as well as non-specialist readers, such as collectors,
designers, and design enthusiasts. For that reason, we request that
authors contribute essays written in a style that will be accessible to
these broader audiences. Information about back issues can be found at
http://www.wolfsonian.org/research-library/publications/DAPA.


Marta Zarzycka, Guest Editor
Assistant Professor and Postdoctoral Fellow
Graduate Gender Programme
Department of Media and Culture Studies
Utrecht University
m.j.zarzyckauu.nl

Jon Mogul, Senior Editor
Assistant Director for Research and Academic Initiatives
The Wolfsonian–Florida International University
jonthewolf.fiu.edu