The Bodies, Emotions and Material Culture Collective

The Bodies, Emotions and Material Collective – originally established as the Embodied Emotions research group in 2015—explores the interplay between bodies, emotions, objects and materials in past and present societies

Members of this research group are historians, art historians, archaeologists and curators with a shared interest in cross-disciplinary debates on the history of the body and gender studies, the history of emotions as well as material culture studies.

The group supports home-grown research in this area by drawing in postgraduates, postdoctoral scholars, academic colleagues in the humanities and sciences, as well as cultural collections staff. We have a strong focus on supporting Early Career Researchers, including PhD students, with an interest in the history of bodies, emotions and material culture.

The collective fosters a vibrant, interdisciplinary research community through longstanding seminar activities, as well as a variety of workshops, conferences and exhibitions. Associated projects and events have been supported, among others, by:

  • The Arts and Humanities Research Council
  • The Australian Research Council
  • The British Academy
  • The Economic and Social Research Council
  • The Leverhulme Trust
  • The Wellcome Trust.

The research collective has developed strong international partnerships with experts in the history of emotions at the Australian Research Council’s Centre for Excellence in the History of Emotions 1100–1800.

The group has built strong connections with

  • Manchester’s unique public collections;
  • The John Rylands Research Institute and Library;
  • The Whitworth Art Gallery;
  • The Manchester Museum;
  • The Manchester Art Gallery.

The collective is also engaged in a wide range of public engagement and impact activities, developing innovative pedagogic approaches, pushing established methodologies in material culture studies (e.g. microscopy) and fostering collaborations with laboratories as well as beyond the university.

The Bodies, Emotions and Material Culture Collective is also the home of the radically interdisciplinary and widely regarded seminar series Affective Artefacts, which charts the relationship between material cultures and cultures of emotions.

The Bodies, Emotions and Material Culture Collective is led by Prof Sasha Handley and Dr Rachel Winchcombe.