http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/cmt/

A conference organised by the Centre for Material Texts, University of
Cambridge to be held 11-12 September 2012 at Jesus College, Cambridge

The shared origin of ‘text’ and ‘textile’ in the Latin ‘texere’, ‘to
weave’, is a critical commonplace. Many of the terms we use to describe
our interactions with words are derived from this common linguistic
root, and numerous other expressions associated with reading and writing
are drawn from the rich vocabulary of cloth. Textiles are one of the
most ubiquitous components of material culture, and they are also
integral to the material history of texts. Paper was originally made
from cotton rags, and in many different cultural and historical settings
texts come covered, wrapped, bound, or decorated with textiles. And
across the domestic, public, religious, and political spheres, textiles
are often the material forms in which texts are produced, consumed, and
circulated.

In the light of the CMT’s current research theme on ‘the material text
in material culture’, we invite papers which consider any of the many
dimensions of the relationship between texts and textiles. There are no
historical, geographical, or disciplinary limitations. Areas to be
addressed could include:

the shared language of texts and textiles – construction and
deconstruction: Continua a leggere→