I recently received the happy news that my article, ‘Material Worlds: The Shared Cultures of Southern Italy and its Mediterranean Neighbours in the Tenth to Twelfth Centuries’, will be published in the peer-reviewed journal Al-Masaq. Islam and the Medieval Mediterranean, published by Routledge. It will appear in the third issue of volume 23 later this… Continue reading Material worlds of the Mediterranean coming soon
Author: Tehmina Goskar
Condensed Reality. A Study of Material Culture book review
In Autumn 2008 I reviewed Pieter ter Keurs’s book Condensed Reality. A Study of Material Culture (Leiden: CNWS Publications, 2006) for the Journal of Museum Ethnography. Unfortunately due to problems with at the journal’s end the issue which was meant to hold the review has still not appeared. As it is now so long since… Continue reading Condensed Reality. A Study of Material Culture book review
Copper-bottomed days
Copper Day was an unexpected development of the ESRC Global and Local Worlds of Welsh Copper Project that I am currently working on at Swansea University. In addition to the summer exhibition, the development of web-accessible resources on copper history, digitisation and liaison with project partners and other bodies, Copper Day has emerged as probably… Continue reading Copper-bottomed days
Finding history in material culture
Being an historian of material culture isn’t easy. It confuses, it contradicts and it doesn’t categorise elegantly. When does material culture become more than just pretty pictures to illustrate your otherwise colourless prose? This has been something that I have been bothered with for as long as I have been working with objects and their… Continue reading Finding history in material culture
A history of Welsh copper in 29 objects: displaying the Latin American connection
On Thursday 16 December at 4pm I shall be giving a paper to this title for the Centre for the Comparative Study of the Americas (CECSAM) at Swansea University. This will be the first time I have delved into a brand new region’s material culture since my foray into medieval southern Italy for my PhD.… Continue reading A history of Welsh copper in 29 objects: displaying the Latin American connection
New horizons in Welsh copper
In a little under two weeks I shall be starting a new job in the department of History & Classics at the University of Swansea. I will be Research Assistant on an ESRC-funded project entitled, History, heritage, and urban regeneration: the global and local worlds of Welsh copper. Project Leader, Prof Huw Bowen, won the… Continue reading New horizons in Welsh copper
The Science of Noah’s Ark
After ages, a meaty debate has been developing on the Group for Education in Museums Jiscmail list. It centred around an initial post by Richard Ellam on the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC) decision to award their quality badge to Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm. On balance the response from list members has been… Continue reading The Science of Noah’s Ark
History at the End of the World?
I am very excited to announce the forthcoming publication of what promises to be one of the signature books on history and human survival. My own contribution to this book is not on my usual topic of research, but on the example of the Parsis, Zoroastrian Indians of Persian descent and their diaspora. It is… Continue reading History at the End of the World?
Textile Conservation Centre finds a new home in Glasgow
Clearly much continued to happen behind the scenes by the TCC Foundation before and since its closure in Winchester. A press release was made last week announcing a new home in Glasgow for many of its activities, particularly in research and education. I have taken the liberty of reproducing the press release in full below:… Continue reading Textile Conservation Centre finds a new home in Glasgow
Medieval sacred textiles in Germany
Just a quick note to disseminate this excellent resource listing sacred textiles in German collections by Amalie on the Adventures in Historical Tablet Weaving blog. List of the contents of Sakrale Gewänder des Mittelalters. It reminded me that in Bamberg Cathedral’s treasury there is meant to be a cloak that belonged to Duke Melo of… Continue reading Medieval sacred textiles in Germany