Material Matters 2024 Issue, Call for Papers:

“What is Material Culture?”

All submissions and proposals are due June 17, 2024

The editors of the Coalition of Master’s Scholars on Material Culture (CMSMC), a non-profit online publication about material culture run by fellow master’s scholars, invite submissions around the theme of “What is Material Culture?” for our 2024 issue of Material Matters. 

What is material culture, anyway? On the surface level, material culture constitutes the physical, human-made objects produced by distinct communities, both past and present. “Material culture” is an intentionally broad term, meant to include everything from objects d’arte to ritual dance, ephemera, tools, and sacred rites. However, when we analyze material culture through an academic discipline–be it anthropology, archaeology, art history, or conservation–it assumes sociological, political, and spiritual meanings. 

In order to define material culture, we must delve into the theoretical basics of our fields. How do we, the practitioners of our disciplines, define the element at the very heart of our studies? Is the definition of material culture elastic or concrete? Does it adapt to the practices and vernacular of a specific field or is that discipline constructed around it?

Attempting to define the term challenges us to consider not only how we understand material culture, but how we approach it. “What is Material Culture?” encourages scholars in related fields to critically examine what they take for granted. As students, we are not asked to define the traditional vocabulary of our disciplines. Our topic therefore urges emerging scholars to consider their biases and how they affect methodologies, queries, and pedagogies. 

This issue will build upon our 2024 “What is Material Culture?” symposium held on March 23, 2024. Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:  

  • Museum ethics, preservation and conservation 

  • Pedagogy in fields related to material culture 

  • Gender studies, the gendering of media and craft

  • Display practices, separation of the low and high arts, the incorporation of various media and crafts in one display

  • Exploration of “non-traditional” material culture, such as dance, music, video games, the digital world, social media, and more  

The mission of the Coalition of Master’s Scholars on Material Culture (CMSMC) is to provide a platform for emerging master’s scholars, who are at a crucial point in their academic careers, to publish their work and contribute to the expanding field of Material Culture. CMSMC seeks to foster interdisciplinary discussions and address a diverse pool of topics. The Coalition desires to amplify emerging voices who can bring fresh and diverse perspectives to the field. Furthermore, CMSMC is dedicated to disseminating information that is publicly accessible while maintaining rigorous academic standards.We accept submissions from master’s scholars (those earning or possessing a master’s degree). CMSMC is also open to the work of PhD students who are in their coursework and working towards an MA in their program. PhD candidates and higher are not eligible.

Submission Guidelines

We invite full submissions for:

  • Scholarly articles (1,500 to 5,000 words)

    • Full draft

    • Original research

We invite proposals (200 words max) for the following pieces:

  • Exhibition reviews (500-750 words) 

    • Ideally exhibitions currently on display or recently closed

  • Book reviews (500-1,000 words) 

    • Ideally reviews of recent books and catalogues

  • Research on the rise (1500 words) 

    • Short, informal works that highlight ongoing research

When submitting, please remember: 

  • All submissions and proposals are due June 17, 2024

  • Direct all materials to admin@cmsmc.org

  • Email subject line should read as follows: “yourLastName”_Submission

  • Text must be in the form of a Word document

  • All submissions should be cited in the Chicago Manual of Style.

  • We ask that images are limited to 10 images per piece, unless otherwise approved, and it is the author’s responsibility to have image permissions before publication 

  • Please also include a recent CV and a brief 50-word bio

Authors will be notified of the acceptance of their submission or proposal by late June/early July, for publication in October 2024. Please note that authors are responsible for obtaining all image copyright releases prior to publication.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Editor-in-Chief, Hope Gillespie, at admin@cmsmc.org.