Making and Unmaking Value I: Transformations Through Time

Metals, Minerals, and the Lifecycle Symposium Series: “Making and Unmaking Value (Part 1) — Transformations Through Time” (full program here)

Examining the transformative journeys of metals and minerals from antiquity to the early modern period, this first symposium invites speakers to consider time as a critical factor in determining value, exploring how the use of materials throughout history can enhance our understanding, enabling us to transcend extraction-focused narratives and recognize how value is perpetually constructed, deconstructed, and reconstructed in practice—emphasizing the significance of form and function.

Through close examination of mines, materials, makers, and techniques, “Making and Unmaking Value (Part 1)” highlights the central role of metals and minerals in knowledge cultures, in shaping political power, structuring environmental regimes, and enabling the geographic circulation of knowledge. Furthermore, it illuminates how the enduring ecological and epistemic consequences of material use can only be fully appreciated through a comprehensive engagement with their complex histories.

The symposium addresses several key themes, including a. the environmental cost of metals and minerals in both producing regions and consuming economies; b. metals, minerals, ritual geologies, and cosmological associations; c. the dynamic and adaptable nature of metals and minerals, whether they are physical objects or abstract concepts; d. the application of metals and minerals in medicinal and therapeutic practices.