The University of British Columbia

Itineraries of Exchange: Cultural Contact in a Global Frame

Itineraries of Exchange
Cultural Contact in a Global Frame
March 4-6, 2010 |  University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Inaugural Symposium of the Global Encounters Initiative

How do societies change in response to contact with other cultures? And what roles do objects play in mediating these connections over time and place? This two-and-a-half-day symposium brings together anthropologists, geographers, historians, Indigenous artists and activists, and literary scholars whose research focuses on cross-cultural encounters and material exchange in a global context. Invited speakers will share works-in-progress and critically assess their own approaches toward the study of cultural exchange between peoples, places, and things.

Organized by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Department of History, UBC

Symposium Schedule

Thursday, March 4

Venue: BELKIN ART GALLERY, UBC (3-5pm)

Visit with Shaunee Casavant (Chief Councillor, Hupacasath Nation) to “Backstory: Nuuchaanulth Ceremonial Curtains and the Work of Ki-ke-in”
Commentator: Charlotte Townsend-Gault (Art History, UBC), Exhibition Curator

Venue: FIRST NATIONS LONGHOUSE, UBC (5:30-9:30pm)

RECEPTION (5:30-7pm)

Welcome
Linc Kesler (Director, First Nations Studies Program, UBC)
Elder Larry Grant (Musqueam Nation)

Introduction
Neil Safier (History, UBC)
Principal Investigator of the Global Encounters Initiative

Global Indigeneities – Views from Near and Far (7:30-9:30pm)
Naasḳuu-isaḳs, Shaunee Casavant (Chief Councillor, Hupacasath Nation)
“Naasḳuu-isaḳs thliitsapilthim”
Nika Collison (Jisgung, Ts’aahl Eagle Clan, Haida Gwaii)
“Bartered Skulls”
Tirso Gonzales (Indigenous Studies, UBC-Okanagan)
“Andean Pacha and Mama Kawsay”
Sheryl Lightfoot (Political Science and First Nations Studies, UBC)
“Declaration of Indigenous Rights”
Commentator: Coll Thrush (History, UBC)

Friday, March 5

Venue: ST. JOHNS COLLEGE, UBC (9am-5:45pm)

Welcome
Henry Yu, Principal pro tem, St. Johns College

Moving Knowledge Across Early Modern Frontiers (9:15am-11:00am)
Jorge Flores (History, Brown)
“Adam’s Peak”
Florence Hsia (History of Science, Wisconsin)
“Collection of Chinese works in manuscript, c.1716”
Nicholas Dew (History, McGill)
“The Oriental Library”
Commentator: Benjamin Schmidt (History, Washington)

American Encounters in a Global Context (11:15am-1:00pm)
Jessica Stern (History, California State University, Fullerton)
“Godalming Kerseys”
Kim Beauchesne (French and Hispanic Studies, UBC)
“Amerindian Barbecue”
Neil Whitehead (Anthropology, Wisconsin)
“Cannibal Bodies”
Commentator: Gaston Gordillo (Anthropology, UBC)

LUNCH (1-2pm)

Keynote Address (2-3:30pm)
“Courtly Encounters in Early Modern Eurasia”
Sanjay Subrahmanyam (History, UCLA)
Introduced by Luke Clossey (History, SFU)

COFFEE

Crossings in the Early Modern Ottoman and Iberian Worlds (4-5:45pm)
Hussein Fancy (History, Michigan)
“Muslim Crusader”
Natalie Rothman (History, Toronto)
“Venetian-Ottoman Miniature Album”
Giancarlo Casale (History, Minnesota)
“Ottoman World Map”
Commentator: Bronwen Wilson (History of Art, UBC)

Venue: PETER WALL INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES, UBC

RECEPTION (6-7pm)

Evening Lecture (7-8pm)
The Things Things Say: On the Metamorphosis of Captain Cook
Jonathan Lamb (English, Vanderbilt University)
Introduced by Jennifer Spear (History, SFU)

Saturday, March 6

Venue: MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY, UBC (9:30am-7:30pm)

Welcome
Anthony Shelton, Director, Museum of Anthropology

Caribbean Diasporas (9:30-11:15am)
James Delbourgo (History, Rutgers)
“Jamaican Slave Whip”
Nathan Connolly (History, Johns Hopkins)
“Work Pass”
Wendy Roth (Sociology, UBC)
“Dominican Limé Dolls”
Commentator: Alejandra Bronfman (History, UBC)

VISIT TO MOA MULTIVERSITY GALLERIES AND “BORDER ZONES”

Discussion with Gu Xiong (Art History and Visual Art, UBC), Karen Duffek (MOA), Curator of “Border Zones”, and Carol Mayer (Head Curator, MOA)

LUNCH (1-2pm)

Global Circuits and Asian Migrations (2:30-4:15pm)
Sareeta Amrute (Anthropology, Washington)
“Tata Indica”
Renisa Mawani (Sociology, UBC)
“Komagata Maru”
Chris Lee (English, UBC)
“Boats”
Commentator: Sebastian Prange (History, UBC)

COFFEE

Commodities and Cultures (4:30-6pm)
Sasha Welland (Anthropology, Washington)
“Architectural Model”
Karen Hebert (Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale)
“Quality Salmon”
Michael Hathaway (Anthropology, SFU)
“Matsutake Bag”
Commentator: Juanita Sundberg (Geography, UBC)

Closing Comments and Discussion (6-6:30)

Closing Lecture (6:30-7:30pm)
“From Noble Savage to Righteous Warrior: Regenerating and Reinscribing Indigenous Presences”
Taiaiake Alfred (Indigenous Governance, UVic)
Introduced by Paige Raibmon (History, UBC)

Symposium Resources

Additional symposium resources, including links to articles and images provided by the presenters.

Sponsors of this event include: the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund at UBC; Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Arts; the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre; St. Johns College; Department of History; Department of Anthropology; Department of English; Dutch Studies Endowment; Department of Sociology; Program in Law and Society; Department of Asian Studies; First Nations Studies Program; the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies; and MOA–Museum of Anthropology.