Dear Fellows,

Mr Ian Herbertson FSAScot has reached out with an exciting opportunity well suited to Fellows whose work explores the representations, histories, and social context of Scotland’s ruins.

The Royal Anthropological Institute is hosting RUINS, Art and Anthropology: A Cross-disciplinary Dialogue at 50 Fitzroy Street, London W1T 5BT. This one-day workshop takes place on 9 February 2027, and is currently accepting proposals for presentation. There is no conference fee, and refreshments will be provided on the day to the participants.

RUINS, Art and Anthropology brings anthropologists and art historians together in dialogue to explore new interpretations of ruins and their representation, or fresh appreciations of conventional approaches. Importantly, the Institute considers ‘anthropology’ in its broadest sense, including archaeology and social archaeology in particular. The Institute welcomes work which brings in comparative and non-western perspectives, as well as detailed ethnographic case studies based on fieldwork by anthropologists and archaeologists.

As the Society strives to stimulate discussion and collaboration and support research which shares Scotland’s past with everyone, we encourage our Fellows who have researched the social context, interpretations and understandings of Scotland’s ruins to submit a proposal. This is an excellent opportunity to bring Scotland’s past to a new audience of scholars and researchers.

Abstracts should consist of a title and 150 words, submitted by 1 November 2026 to David Shankland at david.shankland@therai.org.uk, and Ian Herbertson FSAScot at ianherbertson@outlook.com. Further information can be found online, linked here.

Many thanks,

Astrid Bridgwood
Fellowship & Administration Officer