Welcome to the site for the Materials In Practice reading group, jauntily subtitled ‘What do the Humanities do?’. 

 Although the group is generously supported by the AHRC DTP, we welcome all scholars who wish to participate in our research—the more interdisciplinary, the better. If you are interested in joining, please email Paul Merchant with your details.

This year, the group will be developing our research platform, and starting a series of podcasts. These will follow a similar approach to our reading group, with a guest speaker in the final session. We will be issuing a full schedule at the beginning of term. 

We welcome critical feedback, suggestions for material, voice coaching, lonely hearts ads, and fanmail.
 

Previous Activities (2015-6).
 

We meet once a fortnight during term to discuss critical texts under the broad heading of 'Materiality'. Each week, we aim to place texts that deal with materiality into dialogue with those concerned with practice.

With the exception of Week One, each session will compare two written texts (see the reading list under the Schedule tab) and,pending discussion,some primary material. This could include examples from films or playscripts, or something else entirely.As an added bonus, there will be beverages and competitively-purchased biscuits at each session. 

 In the final sessions of Michaelmas and Lent, we will host visiting speakers for rigorous discussion (and dinner). We will also be holding a day-long symposium at the end of the academic year, giving each member a chance to present on how the group’s findings contributed to their own research.