A Thank You from Karl Galinsky

This was a highly successful conference–and we are not just patting ourselves on the back.   Doug and I expected the papers to be of high quality; after all, only 11 proposals out of 54 were accepted.  The result, however, surpassed our expectations.  As is clear from the abstracts, the papers ranged over a wide area of Roman civilization both in terms of chronology and topics.  The presentations were invariably superior, including the presenters’ adherence to the 20-minute limit, and accompanied by well chosen PPT or handout materials.  They generated a lot of discussion, including from our lively audience.  Many of the participants told us it was the best feedback they had received at any conference they had attended.

Some core issues were: how useful are some of the approaches of the “memory industry”?  Do they really bring something original and lasting to the table?  Is the elastic latitude of concepts like “cultural memory” too diffuse or a plus?  Where does “cultural memory” begin?  As always, it’s the process that is most valuable rather than fixed results.  Another plus is the lack of orthodoxies; inter alia, it makes for really constructive discussions.

Our thanks, then, once more to the participants and also to several of our graduate students who helped with the logistics of the conference.  All of these efforts created a wonderful atmosphere that was enhanced by two nice dinners and a Texas-style barbecue lunch on Saturday.

Last but not least, special thanks are due to Peter Wiseman and two top-notch IT crews at Exeter and UT.  His BA flight to Dallas, scheduled to depart at 11:40 AM on Thursday, was cancelled when Heathrow shut down at 11:30 because of the volcanic imbroglio.  Within a day, his presentation was recorded and placed on our web site from where it was projected on the two screens in the auditorium.  It worked beautifully, not in the least because Peter is such an engaging lecturer – people laughed and clapped (and all at the right time).  Similarly, Ed Richardson got stuck in London (and was replaced by Andrew Howard, who gave a superb paper in the Tomb of Scipios); Ed’s paper is available upon request (e.m.d.richardson@googlemail.com) and he would be happy to receive feedback.

All in all, super.  Stay tuned for publication plans.

Karl Galinsky

Advertisement