LECTURE African Dolls: Play and Ritual in African Sculpture December 11, 2010

Dr. Elisabeth Cameron will explore the world of play and ritual figures that have been described as "dolls." Often used by children but sometimes also carried by women, the figures take many different forms and roles throughout the continent. The main question that will be asked is why this diverse group of figures have been considered together as "dolls" by western scholars and collectors. In the process of answering this question, we will explore both different contexts in which dolls are used on the African continents and our own ideas about them.

Elisabeth L. Cameron is an associate professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz in the History of Art and Visual Culture. She has lived and conducted fieldwork in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. She is the author of Isn't S/He a Doll: Play and Ritual in African Sculpture and is currently working on a book that explores Iconoclasm in Africa.

Free with Museum Admission.

Official Website: http://moadsf.org/visit/calendar.html?year=2010&month=12#day-11