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Doctoral College

Material Culture Network

Image of different clay ornaments and vases.
Welcome to the Material Culture Network (MCN) at the University of Warwick—a vibrant community where students and faculty come together to explore the rich and diverse world of material culture. Whether your interests lie in textile fabrics, architectural styles, or objects from everyday life, this is a space for exchanging ideas and discovering how materials of various shapes, sizes, and textures shape our histories, identities, and experiences. Through engaging discussions, collaborative projects, and interdisciplinary exploration, we delve into the ways material culture influences society across various contexts. Join us to connect, learn, and share in this dynamic and welcoming network!
Material culture refers to the physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define themselves and/or their communities. These can range from the clothing we wear and the tools we use to the buildings we inhabit and the art we create. By studying material culture, we can begin to uncover how different societies and communities throughout history—and across the globe—have expressed their identity, remembered their histories, and forged relationships through the tangible things they produce and interact with.

What do we do?

  • Networking event to meet others and discuss the trajectory of the network.

  • Workshops to discuss each other's work and give constructive feedback.

  • Inviting guest speakers to discuss about specific topics related to material culture

Upcoming Events:

  • Walking the Sculpture Trail on campus to discuss the "everydayness" of public art and material culture

    • Date & time: Wednesday, October 23, 3-4:30pm

    • Meeting point: Warwick piazza facing Curiositea

    • Registration form

  • Reading group: Meaning making through objects and the parameters of what is considered "trash"

    • Reading Material: Stallabrass, J. (2009). Chapter 27: Trash. In F. Candlin & R. Guins (Eds.), The Object Reader (1st ed., pp. 406–424). Routledge.

    • Online event On Wednesday, November 20, 4-5pm.

    • Registration Form (please register to receive the Teams invite and a PDF of the reading material)

QR code to join the network

Join our network!

If you're interested in joining our network, please register your interest using the following linkLink opens in a new window or by scanning the QR code.

Members will be added to our mailing list to receive updates regarding forthcoming events and workshops.

Meet the Team

photograph of vicky panossian

Vicky Panossian

Vicky is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Warwick. Her project is funded by the Chancellor's International Scholarship. She is working on objects of cultural identification of Arabic-speaking migrant communities in the UK.

She is specifically interested in object-oriented histories of migration. Her research explores topics related to migrant identity formation, object preservation and inheritance as well as the role of objects in defining the familial histories of migration.

photograph of puja arti patel

Puja-Arti Patel

Puja-Arti is a PhD researcher on the Vulnerable State project. Hosted in the Department of Sociology, her doctoral research explores the moral emotions of street-level bureaucrats who work with religious minority asylum seekers from Pakistan and Afghanistan in west and northwest India. Her research utilises ethnographic methods to reveal the labour of navigating moral emotions at the heart of bureaucratic practices and tasks.

She is broadly interested in the sociology of emotions, the anthropologies of ethics and the state, religion, and visual and material culture.

List of Members

  • Anastasia Chamberlen

    • Professor, Sociology Department

  • Aidan Diable

    • PhD Candidate, History Department

  • James Kelly

    • PhD Candidate, School of Creative Arts, Performance and Visual Cultures

  • Jeremy Goh

    • PhD Candidate, History Department

  • Javier García Martínez

    • PhD Candidate, Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies

  • Gary Watt

    • Professor, School of Law

  • Nitya Gundu

    • PhD Candidate, History Department

  • Nadia Backleh

    • PhD Candidate, English and Comparative Literary Studies

  • Rachel Lewis

    • Teaching Fellow, Sociology Department

  • Sophie Dungan

    • PhD Candidate, English and Comparative Literary Studies

  • Yola West-Dennis

    • PhD Candidate, Global Sustainable Development