Founded in 2009 after a series of seminars organised between 2001 and 2008 at the EHESS (Paris) and the Autonomous University of Madrid, CORPUS aims to be an effective participant in the construction of a widely diverse and scientifically based dialogue on the subject of the anthropological aspects of the body. CORPUS aims to offer a forum of cross-thinking and open dialogues about this fascinating object of study.

CORPUS now boasts more than two hundred researchers from fifty different countries. The first International Symposium of CORPUS was held at Universidade Nova de Lisboa in January 2010 and its theme was "The Beautiful and the Ugly: Body Representations". Based on the feedback of its participants, the symposium was a heart warming success and a true opportunity for many scholars in the field to form strong bonds for potential research collaborations.

The second symposium is organised with the support of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology Sciences at the Russian Academy of Sciences. The theme of this symposium will be "Foreign Bodies: Enhancing & Invading the Human Body".  

The human body is engaged in interactions with numerous elements, which can be considered as "foreign bodies" when they enter the human body or when they become closely allied with its periphery. Some of these elements are natural; others are artefacts with varied degrees of sophistication. The penetration of the foreign body or the contact with it can be voluntary or not. Curative, corrective, ritualistic, aesthetical, cultural, or practical perspectives can justify the encounter between a human body and a selected object or biological element usage for the invasion. Furthermore, the invading foreign body can also be an undesired intruder such as parasite (Trichinella spiralis, for example) or a technological shackle like injections of Botox® which is a purified protein produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium.

By their diversity, the foreign bodies/objects used to extend and enhance several aspects of the human body allow us to thoughtfully examine the complexity of the biocultural nature of human body. We invite researchers (historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, psychologists, philosophers, physicians, literature, art specialists, etc.) interested in these stimulating questions regarding the fascinating connections between foreign and human bodies to participate in this meeting, especially considering one of the following themes:

• Modifying & completing the body: medical and aesthetic prostheses, tooth incrustations, scarification, piercing, cosmetic interventions, plastic and corrective surgeries, etc.
• Bodies & artefacts: incorporation of object dynamics, invasive and non-invasive nanotechnologies, cyborg, etc.
• Biological foreign bodies: transplants, skin grafts, medical and fictional representations of the internal parasites, etc.

Presentations will be 20 minutes long and must be delivered in English. The proposals must include an abstract (150-300 words) and a current CV.

The deadline for receiving presentation proposals is March 12th 2010.

Please use the address provided below to send your proposal to Frédéric Duhart, Roman Ignatiev and Inês de Ornellas e Castro. All proposals will be evaluated by an international scientific committee. The symposium will be held May 17th-18th 2010 at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology Sciences at the Russian Academy of Sciences, 32a Leninski prospekt, Moscow 119991. There will be no registration fee. Transportation costs and accommodation will be the sole responsibility of each participant.  

Contacts:

Frédéric Duhart
CORPUS General Coordinator
frederic.duhart@wanadoo.fr

Roman Ignatiev
2nd Symposium Coordinator
roman.ignatiev@gmail.com

Serguei Alymov
alymovs@mail.ru

Alexander Novik
njual@mail.ru

2nd Symposium Sc. Com. Coordinators

Inês de Ornellas e Castro
iorncastro@netcabo.pt

Mohey Mowafy
mmowafy@nmu.edu

Denis Vorobiev
pakamagan@rambler.ru

More information about CORPUS and its activities:

http://corpus.comlu.com