Wednesday 24 June 2009

All Aboard the Charabanc

the following invitation was found on the photocopier...

The next Day of Culture
will consist of a visit to Brighton
to explore a number of themes
related to the Social and Cultural Research Group.

We will meet at the The Royal Pavilion Gardens
and visit the Brighton Museum
to consider issues such as:
health, housing, religion
civic pride, sport and other social activities
through a range of objects and printed ephemera.

The exhibition will help contextualise
the second activity of the day
raising questions that we might like to contemplate
as we move beyond the museum space.

Next we will visit
the historic ‘Lanes’ area of Brighton
which has a vibrant café culture
and is characterised by
second-hand and antique emporiums
as well as flea markets
making it an ideal place to pause
and consider a number of themes
including consumption,
the histories of objects
and material culture.

Finally, we will visit the Pier, promenade and beach
to consider the role of tourism
in the creation of Brighton, past and present.

You may wish to read the following
as an introduction to some of the themes
that might arise during the day:

Shields R (1991)
‘Ritual pleasures of a seaside resort
liminality, carnivalesque and dirty weekends’

from Places on the Margin: Routledge: London

Miller D (1998)
Theory of Shopping
Polity Press: Cambridge

*****

MrsM admits to adding the illustrations.

Needless to say, MrsM must remain in the office
to ensure that the administrative wheels
of the Department run smoothly...


15 comments:

Lynn said...

My word, that's an awful lot of Themes, Issues and Questions to address in one day. I should think a person would need a Day of Anti-culture just to recover.

(Speaking of themes - that last picture might have to become a permanent fixture on your blog. It is resplendent.)

Ginnie said...

Hmmm...sounds like a boondoggle.

Quinn said...

Oh academe! I miss you now and then.

And I think the illustrated version in an improvement in every way!

trash said...

Will they bring you back some rock?

dottycookie said...

It sounds a bit like the time I helped organise a work conference to be held at a ski resort in Utah in the depths of winter ...

Anonymous said...

it's a long way to go just for an ice cream

kristina said...

Have always loved the word charabanc. And amazing how academics can make something that should be fun sound so very 'worthy'! K x

Mary said...

In fact that does sound like academic justification for eating and shopping to me!

Limecat said...

Mrs Magpie, fie for shame!

Redoubtable she may be, ladies and gents, but I can confirm for those who have not had the pleasure of meeting her, that MrsM is a veritable English Rose. The lady in the picture, however, looks like a veritable harridan and is definitely UP TO NO GOOD.

monica said...

scary.

(can one bring children?)

The Coffee Lady said...

It seems to me that somewhere with cafes and flea markets is an ideal place to spend money, not to consider themes

Obviously I was not cut out for academia

Anonymous said...

Theory of Shopping? It does sound like a rather convoluted excuse for a trip to the seaside. I guess even academics like to go to the beach now and then. Ha! (Illustrations a definite improvement.)

Ali said...

Human and social geographers! Tsk, I ask you.

In my old Dept, they managed a module on using Remote Sensing for Viticulture and you can imagine how well subscribed THAT was!

Gina said...

Day of culture? Sounds more like a day out at the seaside to me! Pity someone has to stay behind to keep the wheels oiled.

Lucy said...

Yeah yeah - you just mean shopping! Hope you had a lovely day.