Location: London, United Kingdom
Conference Date: October 8, 2011

The Fourth Courts and Capitals Conference Organised By The Society for Court Studies And The Victorian Society The programme starts at 10am. At the Art Workers Guild, 6 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AT.

In Asia as in Europe, the nineteenth century witnessed a renaissance of court culture and architecture. The challenges of revolution, nationalism and capitalism stimulated the creation of palaces, monuments and grand public spaces on an unprecedented scale, transforming the urban landscape and placing ruling dynasties at the heart of modern capital cities. Focusing on the Near and Far East, this conference explores the influence of court patronage in refashioning some of the world’s great cities.

Lectures include:

Tokyo: the capital, the palace and modern Japan’s sacred centre by Joh

Breen, School of Oriental and African Studies

The rise and fall of Royal Alexandria: from Mohammed Ali to Farouk by Philip Mansel, Institute of Historical Research

The Gyeongbok Palace, Seoul, as a barometer of Korea’s political fortunes in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by Keith Pratt, University of Durham

New Delhi: the creation of a vice-regal capital by Gavin Stamp, independent scholar

A new capital for a new dynasty: Bangkok from Rama I to Rama V (1782-1910) by John Villiers, independent scholar

From the Bala Hissar to the Arg: how royal fortress-palaces shaped Kabul by Bill Woodburn, Institution of Royal Engineers

At the Art Workers Guild, 6 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AT. 60 pounds; (55 before Friday 12 August) including lunch and refreshments. Places are limited, so please book early. Enquiries 020 8747 5895 events@victoriansociety.org.uk .

For the full conference programme, visit www.courtstudies.org