Call for papers: Dress and the material culture of the self along the Nile valley

Fashioning Sudan and Nubia international conference 2027.

For millennia, people living in Sudan and Nubia have developed rich traditions to dress and adorn their bodies. This includes garments made of animal skin (leather and fur) and textiles, jewellery built of extremely diverse materials, hairdoes, make up and other skin modifications such as tattooing, etc., assembled in ever-changing compositions. These practices are shown on the numerous images - carved or painted on monuments, rocky outcrops, vessels, and a myriad of other objects - created by the different inhabitants of Sudan and Nubia. They are also attested by an extremely rich material culture, preserved to a unique degree thanks to the arid conditions that prevail across this vast region. Today, these different sources offer a formidable field of inquiry to study and understand important body practices, which, renewed every day by every member of the society, cemented personal and group identities.

This conference will include academic presentations and discussions, a keynote lecture, hands-on demonstrations, and an exhibition. It is conceived as the final event for the Fashioning Sudan project (ERC 101039416) and we hope to welcome interested colleagues and participants working on connected topics and multidisciplinary perspectives, in a celebration of Sudanese heritage.

More information and programme forthcoming.