12th October 2016 · By the Conference Team · 7 min read

Tagged: Conference Review, BAVS 2016

More than a month has passed since the closing session of the 2016 annual conference of the British Association for Victorian Studies, held at Cardiff University from 31st August to 2nd September. With over 330 delegates in attendance, the event brought together a remarkable breadth of scholarship on the theme of "Consuming (the) Victorians." The three days of papers, discussions, and social events offered a rich and stimulating programme that deserves some considered reflection.

The conference opened with workshops designed for postgraduate researchers and early career academics, providing a supportive forum for emerging scholars to present their work and receive constructive feedback from more established colleagues. These sessions underlined the commitment of the Victorian studies community to nurturing the next generation of researchers.

Keynote Highlights

The three plenary lectures were among the highlights of the conference. Patricia Duncker's exploration of George Eliot and the neo-Victorian imagination offered a compelling account of how contemporary writers engage with and reimagine the Victorian period. Christina Bashford's lecture on the late-Victorian "violin craze" revealed fascinating connections between musical culture, consumerism, and social aspiration. Frank Trentmann's address on the global dimensions of Victorian consumer culture placed British consumption within a broader international context, challenging assumptions about the insularity of Victorian economic life.

Each of these lectures, in its own way, demonstrated the value of interdisciplinary inquiry. By drawing on literary criticism, musicology, and economic history respectively, the speakers showed how Victorian consumption can be understood from multiple angles, each revealing different facets of a complex cultural phenomenon.

Themes and Threads

Several recurring themes emerged across the parallel panel sessions. Material culture was a prominent focus, with papers examining objects as diverse as furniture, clothing, printed ephemera, and scientific instruments. A number of speakers explored how the Victorians' relationship with material goods shaped their understanding of themselves and their society.

The question of gender and consumption also figured prominently. Multiple panels addressed the ways in which shopping, domestic decoration, and fashion were gendered activities, and how women in particular navigated the expanding world of consumer choice. Related discussions considered how advertising and retail culture both reflected and reinforced existing social norms.

Cardiff as a Conference Setting

The choice of Cardiff as the conference venue proved particularly apt. The city's own Victorian heritage, visible in its architecture, civic institutions, and the spectacular interiors of Cardiff Castle, provided a tangible backdrop to the scholarly discussions. Further details about the city and its connections to the Victorian period illustrate why Cardiff was such a fitting host. The conference dinner at the National Museum Cardiff, with its outstanding collection of Impressionist and Victorian art, was a memorable occasion that brought together delegates from across the world in a setting of considerable beauty.

The guided tours of Cardiff Castle, with its extraordinary Gothic Revival interiors designed by William Burges for the 3rd Marquess of Bute, offered delegates a direct encounter with Victorian consumption at its most extravagant. The castle's rooms, with their elaborate gilding, murals, and carvings, are a physical embodiment of the themes the conference explored.

Looking Forward

The President's Panel, which closed the conference, offered reflections on the major themes that had emerged over the three days. The panellists encouraged scholars to look for points of connection and interaction across disciplinary boundaries, and to remain attentive to the ways in which the Victorians continue to shape contemporary culture. The energy and ambition of the papers presented at Cardiff suggest that Victorian consumer culture will remain a productive area of inquiry for years to come.

The organisers express their gratitude to all who participated, and particularly to the School of English, Communication and Philosophy at Cardiff University for hosting such a successful event.