Hi all,
We would like to solicit potential speakers for a session we will be proposing for the forthcoming ICAZ conference in San Rafael, Argentina, in September 2014.
The session title and abstract are described below. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to get in touch.
Chickens and People: New Perspectives
The chicken is native to Southeast Asia but over the last 8,000 years it has been transported by people around the world - no other livestock species is so widely established. The chicken's eastward spread from Asia to the Americas has been the subject of several high-profile genetic studies; however, its diffusion to the West has received much less attention. Zooarchaeologically, there have been few surveys documenting the timing circumstances and cultural/environmental impact of the chicken’s global spread. This oversight seems astonishing given that anthropological studies have demonstrated repeatedly the social and cultural significance of this species (whether as a provider of meat, eggs or feathers, its widespread use in cockfighting or its association with ritual, magic and medicine). A detailed analysis of the natural and cultural history of chickens is long overdue and has genuine potential to provide cultural data of the highest quality and relevance for a range of disciplines and audiences.
To this end, this session seeks to bring together researchers who are working on the issues highlighted above. The geographic and chronological remit of the session is all-encompassing and we welcome interdisciplinary papers that blend scientific, artistic/material culture and anthropological datasets. The main priority of the session is to highlight new approaches that examine how the history of humans and chickens has been mutually shaped.
Session organisers: Prof. G. Marvin (University of Roehampton), Dr. Mark Maltby (University of Bournemouth), Dr. Naomi Sykes (University of Nottingham), Dr. R. Thomas (University of Leicester),
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