Appel à communication pour le colloque
international pluridisciplinaire « Le commerce du luxe – Le luxe du commerce. Production,
exposition et circulation des objets précieux du Moyen Âge à nos jours »
organisé par le LARHRA (UMR 5190 Laboratoire de Recherche Historique Rhône-Alpes),
qui se tiendra au musée Gadagne, 1 place du petit Collège, à Lyon, les jeudi 22
et vendredi 23 novembre 2012.
RÉSUMÉ
Comment se produisent, s’exposent, se diffusent
et se consomment les produits du luxe ? Le but du colloque est de revenir sur
la question de la spécialisation progressive d’un commerce voué aux objets précieux.
Il entend être une manifestation ouverte d’un point de vue chronologique,
spatial et disciplinaire, faisant appel à des spécialistes d’horizons différents
: histoire, histoire de l’art,
économie, littérature, sociologie, etc. Il s’agira
de montrer la richesse et la diversité de ce qui était (et
reste) compris sous l’appellation de ‘luxe’ et
d’observer comment se sont progressivement mis en place des marchés spécialisés.
Deux approches spécifiques sont menées, d’une part les acteurs et les
marchandises, d’autre part les lieux de vente
et la puissance matérielle et symbolique attachée à ce secteur particulier de l’économie.
English version
The Trade in Luxury and the Luxury of Trade.
The production, display, and circulation of precious objects from the
Middle-Ages to the present day
The methods of production, display,
circulation, and consumption of luxury goods will be the subject of this
conference. The aim is to raise questions about growing specialization in
a trade devoted to
precious objects which are designed to make
people and their surroundings more attractive. Specialists from
different backgrounds will deal with these questions from many
chronological, spatial and
disciplinary perspectives. Diverse acadenic
fields will thus be represented, among them history, art and design
history, economics, literature, sociology, etc.
This interdisciplinary approach to the luxury
market across a long period of time, from the Middle-Ages to the
present day, will make it possible to contrast different experiences and
underline continuities
as well as changes. Luxury has often been
discussed merely with reference to fine arts production. Here, in
contrast, the objective is to reveal the richness and diversity of a
phenomenon referred to
as ‘luxury’, and the progressive emergence of
specialized markets.
Two specific approaches will thus be developed
in the conference: on the one hand, a focus on people and goods, and
on the other hand, a focus on points of sale and the material and
symbolic power deriving from this particular sector of the economy.
Indeed, luxury does not only derive from the methods and forms of the
material economy; it is also a controversial value, a symbolically
charged trade, a political
argument, a religious controversy. These facets
of luxury are either linked with or remote from the circuits of
consumption, leading or following consumption practices. The papers,
which may refer to French or foreign examples, should contribute
to the following topics and perspectives:
