“Civilizing” the World: Classicism, Neo-Classical Sculpture, and Plaster Casts in the Service of Imperial Powers and Post-Colonial Elites (1780-1945)
- Region: East of England
- Type: Conference
- Cost: Free
“Civilizing” the World: Classicism, Neo-Classical Sculpture, and Plaster Casts in the Service of Imperial Powers and Post-Colonial Elites (1780-1945)
Two-day conference at the Warburg Institute, organized by Dr Eckart Marchand (WI), Prof. Katherine Harloe (Institute of Classical Studies, UoL), Prof. Amy Smith (Reading University)
Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, European imperial and colonial powers used Greco-Roman and neo-classical sculpture, architecture and other art forms, to express and consolidate their authority, at home and in colonial settings, through the assertion of Eurocentric notions of “civilization” and inherited supremacy. This conference aims to bring together and foster new research into the roles that classical and neoclassical art (broadly defined) fulfilled for European powers and post-colonial elites globally, seeking critical exploration and assessment of the ways classical visual culture has been reused, redefined and also contested. The conference seeks to investigate classical visual culture in the service of self-presentation among competing nations and as a means to “civilize” and / or dominate indigenous, subaltern and settler populations. We encourage examination of the social, political and racial implications of engagement with the European classical tradition in both colonial and post-colonial contexts worldwide. We invite contributions on works including neo-classical sculpture, plaster casts after the antique, and works such as ethnographic life-casts, the creation and use of which amplified and illuminated concepts of race and evolution that underpinned notions of Greco-Roman cultural supremacy.
The conference will take place at the Warburg Institute on 22-23 October 2026.
Please submit proposals (300 words maximum) for 20-minute presentations. The preferred mode of attendance will be in person. Please indicate whether you may be able to access travel subsidies, and/or whether you would be prepared to present online, if necessary.
https://warburg.sas.ac.uk/news-events/events/CFP-civilizing-the-world-2026
For further information or questions contact Eckart Marchand: eckart.marchand@sas.ac.uk
Deadline for submission: 1 December 2025