ICME Meetings in Seoul

Call for Papers

ICME/2009/Seoul
Museums for Reconciliation and Peace
Roles of Ethnographic Museums in the World

Seoul, Korea
19-21 October 2009

ICME (the ICOM International Committee for Museums Ethnography) will hold its 2009 annual conference in Seoul, Korea on 19-21 October, 2009. The meeting will be hosted by The National Folk Museum of Korea (icme2009seoul.icom.museum).

ICME 2009/Seoul invites papers addressing one of two topics – Peace and Reconciliation, as addressed in ethnographic museums and The Role of Ethnographic Museums, in general. This conference invites museum ethnographers and others to address either this very focused topic or the more general topic both from the point of view of museum collecting activities and public programs including exhibitions and educational programming.

Reconciliation and peace is a topic much of concern in today's world. Inherent in intercultural understanding are such values as mutual respect, trust and shared commitment to each other and to the institutions of multi-ethnic and multi-cultural societies. Museums stand poised as educational facilities to serve as neutral places where issues of difference and similarities and the historical, cultural, linguistic and religious particularities of their region can be presented and discussed openly. At this conference we seek to learn how ethnographic museums in many parts of the world have tackled this significant issue.

Authors may address questions such as:
• How committed are museums to collecting cultural materials representative of all cultures in the community-at-large?
• Are the history, cultural traditions, and values of all communities presented in exhibitions in an equal manner?
• Do public programs for youth and adults strive to bring together individuals from different cultural backgrounds?

In a more general sense, papers are invited on the general topic of Roles of Ethnographic Museums in the World. The conference seeks to serve as a forum to understand the place that ethnographic museums have sought to take in their own societies whether they are representing cultures living in their communities or the cultures of overseas peoples.

The exchange of ideas on these two topics promises to be rich and interesting.

This conference is open to museum professionals and all scholars involved in the issues and topics of the annual meeting. Presentations should not exceed 15 minutes. The main language of the conference will be English. We are encouraging the use of visual images wherever possible.

Abstracts, which should not exceed 250 words, should be sent to Dr. Yang Jongsong, Senior Curator, The National Folk Museum of Korea by 31 May 2009, at the latest. Abstracts will be submitted to our editorial committee and a decision on their suitability will be made by the end of June.

Dr. Yang Jongsung, Senior Curator, Folklorist
National Folk Museum of Korea
Samcheongdong-gil
Jongno-gu Seoul 110-820, Korea
Phone +82-2-3704-3101; fax +82-2-3704-3149
icme2009seoul@gmail.com.

Final details are still being confirmed. The general format of the annual meeting will consist of keynote speakers, papers, roundtables, and museum visits. Registration forms and other details will be available on the ICME and the conference websites in April at http://icme.icom.museum & icme2009seoul.icom.museum.

Note: There is no registration fee for the ICME/2009 conference. Hotel arrangements are being made with the Somerset Palace Hotel (http://www.somersetpalaceseoul.com), near the National Folk Museum of Korea. Hotel fees for all invited or accepted speakers will be paid by our hosts. One half of the hotel fees will be paid other conference attendees. All post conference fees will be paid by our host.