Past Perceptions, Modern Perspectives: Contextualising Egyptomania

ISSE Annual Online Conference, 2024

Date: August 10-11 2024

2024 marks 200 years since the National Gallery in London opened, an institution that is renowned for its art collections, but has links not only with ancient Egypt, but Egyptomania. The Hawara mummy portrait panels, excavated by WM Flinders Petrie in 1888 and 1911, were displayed at the National Gallery throughout the 20th century, capturing the imagination of a public that was fascinated by Egyptian art and archaeology.

This year’s annual ISSE conference aims to bring together interdisciplinary research and provide a space for this research to be shared. Egyptomania - a term coined in the nineteenth century regarding the obsession people had with ancient Egypt - has continued to influence society over the years, coinciding with the ongoing development of Egyptology as a discipline.

This conference aims to explore the historical background and evolution of Egyptomania, whilst engaging with modern perspectives of heritage and reception studies. ISSE is dedicated to embrace the need to engage critically with the subject, considering the ethical implications of our (ongoing) fascination with Egypt's ancient heritage and future directions for research.

We welcome papers from a wide area of topics and subjects, including but not limited to:

·       Architecture

·       Art History

·       Cinema & Television

·       Cultural Studies

·       Decolonisation

·       Development of Egyptology as a discipline

·       Entertainment (Music, Theatre, etc.)

·       Ethical issues (e.g. the treatment of mummified remains)

·       Fashion & jewellery

·       Historiography

·       Literature – both ancient and modern

·       Material Culture

·       Media Studies

·       Museum & Heritage Studies

·       Photography

·       Reception Studies

·       Travel Studies

Please send an abstract of no more than 250 words and a short bio to conference.egyptomania@gmail.com by 1st June 2024

We look forward to hearing from you!

There will be an opportunity to submit your papers for publication to the ISSE Journal after the conference!