8th ITRA World Conference, Paris 11,12,13 July 2018
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The Conference Program can be found here and the Book of Abstracts is here.
Conference Theme
The predominant theme for the 8th ITRA Conference was "Toys and Material Culture: Hybridisation, Design and Consumption".
Beyond toys, the conference explored the place of tangible objects and novel forms of material culture in play. What were the similarities and the differences, the relationships, between toys and other material devices, such as board games, cards, digital games and media-connected objects? Were there, in play, or in the trans-mediated toys themselves, new forms of materiality?
Three words summarized this topic:
- Hybridisation: the mix between toys and other playthings or supports; the trans-media franchising and circulation of characters, contents, fictions, and cross-connected toys; the mix between video games and toys; the relationships between toys and technology; and the question of virtual toys.
- Design: the conception of toys and the relationship with other trans-mediated objects addressed to, or of interest to children.
- Consumption: the marketing, distribution, and use of toys, and their relationship with different kinds of play objects, including the recycling and transformation of everyday objects into playthings.
In addition to the main theme of the conference, other topics relating to toys and material culture were welcome. This included, but is not limited to the following topics:
- Toy collecting and toy libraries
- Toys, education, health and environment
- Toys and gender influences
- Toys and inter-cultural communication
- Toys in history
- Trans-generational toys
- Toys, signs and meanings
Copyright ITRA 2007 
