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This is a call for paper submissions for the following session at EAA
2001 in Esslingen, Germany, Sept.
19-23, 2001
Block 3. Archaeology and Material Culture: Interpreting the
Archaeological Record
Paper Session: Worlds Collide: Multiculturalism in the Archaeological Record
From the beginning, the study of ethnic identity and archaeology has
been a focus of the EAA meetings, reflecting the current upsurge of
interest in developing methodologies to address this important issue.
In this session, we will focus on one specific aspect: the
convergence of archaeological materials of disparate cultural origins
or signatures in a find complex.
It is a truism that a group identity is discernible only in the
context of another, distinctly "other" group. Archaeological
remains are often used to extrapolate group (ethnic/cultural)
identification. When objects of a type consistently identified as
"Etruscan," for example, are unearthed in a tomb of Etruscan type and
locale, we have little hesitation in calling it an "Etruscan" complex
and in turn drawing on the material to inform us about "the
Etruscans." But what are we to make of finds in a similar complex
that are clearly not of Etruscan origin or manufacture? What of
"Etruscan"objects found in far distant contexts? How are we to
interpret a site known to have been occupied by disparate groups but
homogeneous in the archaeological record? Or a site assumed to have
been insular and uniform in population but with a diverse
archaeological record? To what extent can we ascribe ethnic/cultural
identity to an intrusive or displaced object or feature? Does its
identity change outside its original context? How does the disparate
archaeological material indicate the workings of such interactions as
trade, gift exchange, war, migration, influence, imitation,
assimilation, acculturation?
It is intended that this session will contribute to the ongoing
discussion of the archaeology of ethnic and cultural identification
by presenting specific instances of "multicultural" find complexes
and examining the methods and approaches of their interpretation.
***Archaeologists, anthropologists and scholars from a wide range of
disciplines are encouraged to submit papers. ***
Please submit abstracts to:
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Constanze Witt, PhD
UT Austin Classics Dept.
WAG 17 C3400
Austin, TX 78712
512 471 8684
fax 512 471 4111
http://www.utexas.edu/depts/classics/
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