The annual PAA-E meeting entitled Gendered objects in Oceania will be held at the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac from 13 until 15 September 2022 to coincide with the exhibition Power & Prestige: The Art of Clubs in Oceania (7 June – 25 September 2022).

As the exhibition demonstrates, clubs are sculptures, exchange valuables, markers of authority and status, embodiments of divinity and accessories of performance. However, clubs are first and foremost weapons that through their association with warfare may be seen as expressions of masculinity. The gender identity linked to clubs forms the inspiration of the meeting as we hope to explore whether and how objects are being gendered in Oceania.

Call for papers

While the papers can cover a wide range of topics, preference will be given to papers dealing with the following issues:
Material culture as expression of gender identities Gendered collecting Gendered objects and art practices Access to collections along gender lines

There are two types of presentations:

(a) 30 minute papers (20-25 mins talk, 5-10 mins discussion)
(b) 10 minutes reports

Abstract submissions (100-200 words) for reports or papers should be sent to Stéphanie Leclerc-Caffarel by 1 May 2022. Acceptance will be confirmed by 1 June 2022, allowing time for presenters to make their travel arrangements.

Registration, tentative programme and accommodation

Details for the meeting and information about accommodation will be announced in due course. It is anticipated that the programme will include an excursion to the Musée d’histoire naturelle in Lille.

The meeting follows on the Parcours des mondes, which will be held from 6 until 11 September 2022.