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This is a call for papers for the following session at the Theoretical Archaeology Group 2007 conference in York, England. Chance, Choice and Catastrophe: An Archaeology of the Unpredictable Stephen O’Brien, David Smith and Helen Murphy (University of Liverpool) Archaeologists, regardless of their ideological stripe, have a tendency to look for recognisable patterns in the archaeological record. In many ways this is unsurprising, given archaeology’s origins as part of the Modernist project (Thomas, 2004), and the manner in which the western world is emerging from a period characterised by the two competing determinist schools of thought provided by Marxism and Free-Market economics (Ferguson, 1997). The question must be raised, however, as to how well archaeology deals with the random unpredictable event. This is particularly relevant in light of recent scientific developments such as non-linear systems theory, which implies that the unpredictable is in fact a highly relevant factor in any complex system, which human culture certainly is. Such developments create a tension between the paradigms of the unpredictable event and gradual development, and those of individual agency and group dynamics. This session will therefore seek to present papers analysing the role of the unpredictable in archaeology, and how archaeology may incorporate such thinking into its work. References Ferguson, N. 1997. “Virtual History: Towards a ‘chaotic’ theory of the past”, in N. Ferguson (ed.) Virtual History: Alternatives and Counterfactuals. 1-90. London: Papermac. Thomas, J. 2004. Archaeology and Modernity. London: Routledge. Submissions should be sent to [log in to unmask] The deadline for the submission of paper titles is 31st August 2007. The dedline for the submission of paper abstracts is 30th September 2007. Archive of list messages may be found at: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/classicsgrads Visit the same site to change your subscription settings. All queries regarding the list should be directed to: [log in to unmask]