The site, which supports the “War and the Visceral Imagination” panel session at the 2011 American Studies Association conference, serves as a longer-term interdisciplinary conversation space about how we might better study the political and social ramifications of multisensory experiences of the material world. So, while the panel itself focuses on embodied experiences of the material within the context of U.S. wartime cultures, we are interested in hearing from those working on any aspect of material culture’s role in affective, embodied experience.

One need not be attending the ASA meeting to participate in the online discussion. In fact, we chose to have an online component in order to expand the conversation to involve scholars—including representatives of museums and archives—who are not able to attend the conference.

How you can participate:
We invite you to comment on existing posts and share your thoughts on the three panel papers. We also hope you will tell us about your work, recommend relevant books and articles, tell us about collections rich in possibilities for study, current or past exhibitions that engage(d) the senses, and pose questions for us all to consider. Those interested in these latter forms of participation can contact me at: Clarissa_Ceglio@brown.edu

You can also follow along on Twitter (the hashtag is #warvi and my handle is @cjceglio). And, of course, if you are going to ASA, we hope to see on Sunday, Oct. 23rd at 8:00 a.m. in Peale A of the Hilton Baltimore.

With thanks,

Clarissa

Clarissa J. Ceglio
Clarissa_Ceglio@brown.edu
PhD candidate
Department of American Studies
Brown University
http://warandvisceralimagination.wordpress.com/