Please join ICME in Southern Germany ICME/2011/Banz Monastery Banz Monastery at Bad Staffelstein (Upper Franconia), Germany 2-5 October, 2011 Dear Colleagues, We invite you to attend the annual ICME conference on 2-5 October, 2011, at the Banz Monastery at Bad Staffelstein (Upper Franconia), Germany. This year's conference is organized in collaboration with the University of Bamberg/Department of European Ethnology. Final details of the ICME conference including registration forms, registration fee information, hotels, and other details on the ICME web site - http://icme.icom.museum. PLEASE NOTE that HOTEL REGISTRATION at the Banz Monastery has been extended until 31 August 2011. As usual both a short pre-conference tour (October 1-2) in Bamberg - World Heritage City - have been organized as well as the usual ICME post conference tour (October 5-8). Conference theme: Dissolving boundaries. Museological approaches to national, social and cultural issues, from the point of view of ethnographic museums. Borders, boundaries, exclusion, delimitation or the dissolution of boundaries as a result of geographical, political, social and cultural parameters in long-term perspectives are not static. They are linked to a steady influence of different forces. Such processes take place quietly without conflict or they end in graduated collisions. Borders, boundaries and dissolution are not limited to the grand level of nations or levels of policy planning systems. They also concern the social and cultural constitution of formal and informal groups. Terms like “equal" and "different" are often determined by everyday life experiences. Religious and ethnic identity constructions as well as comprehensive examples of migration, gender or age-specific distinctions present boundaries expressed by exclusions which need to be overcome. The variety of borders and their delimitation contribute towards political and social life. ICME (the International Committee for Museums of Ethnography) is an international committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) devoted to ethnography (ethnology, anthropology, folk) museums focusing on local, national and international cultures. ICME is concerned with the challenges facing ethnographic museums and collections in a changing world. Annette B. Fromm 3060 Alton Road Miami Beach, Fl 33140 305-532-3530 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Change ICOM-L subscription options, unsubscribe, and search the archives at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/icom-l.html