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Hi everyone, This is a reminder that the abstract submission deadline for the Zooarchaeology Interest Group symposium at next year's Society for American Archaeology meeting is August 20th. The meeting will take place in Washington, DC (April 11-15, 2018). The theme of the symposium is applying zooarchaeology to address archaeological and anthropological questions beyond the more immediate questions of animal behavior and human-animal interactions in the past. If you are interested in participating, please see the symposium abstract and details below. All the best, Deanna Grimstead, ZIG Co-Chair Siavash Samei, ZIG Co-Chair *** *CALL FOR PAPERS* IN THE SERVICE OF A GREATER GOOD: BROADER APPLICATIONS OF ZOOARCHAEOLOGY IN THE ERA OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH Sponsored Symposium of the SAA Zooarchaeology Interest Group SAA 83rd Annual Meeting Washington, DC April 11-15, 2018 CO-CHAIRS Dianna Grimstead, Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University; [log in to unmask] Siavash Samei, Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut; [log in to unmask] ABSTRACT In the pursuit of studying animal behavior and human-animal interactions in the past, zooarchaeologists have developed and refined a range of analytical and methodological techniques intended to extract meaning from animal remains found in archaeological sites. Zooarchaeology, however, is only one in a range of possible avenues of research into the past. Ironically, in the era of inter-disciplinary research, methodological and epistemological advances made by various archaeological sub-disciplines, including zooarchaeology, are rarely combined and discussed collectively, as specialists overwhelmingly interact with peers in their own sub-disciplines. In this session, we place zooarchaeology at the center of our anthropological and archaeological milieu to examine how zooarchaeological techniques and approaches can be made relevant beyond more immediate reconstructions of human-animal interactions. In this session, we will discuss zooarchaeology not as an end unto itself, but as the means to reach a greater end. Several issues to consider include, but are not limited to: 1. Combining and reconciling zooarchaeological approaches with other archaeological sub-disciplines and their methodologies to produce more holistic and compelling narratives of the past. 2. Deploying zooarchaeological analyses as independent tests of inferences made based on other lines of evidence like ceramics, lithics, metals, architecture, botanical remains, stable isotopes, etc. 3. Using our understanding of human-animal interactions and behavioral and physiological characteristics of various animal species as the basis of investigations into settlement patterns, site occupation intensities, and patterns of mobility and migration. 4.Using taphonomic studies of animal remains to assess greater site formation processes. TO PARTICIPATE Individuals interested in participating in this symposium should submit a working title and abstract to the session chairs by August 20, 2017 SCHEDULE Abstract Submission to Co-Chairs Deadline: August 20, 2017 SAA Online Submission Deadline: September 7, 2017; 3pm Eastern Time SAA Meeting Payment Confirmations Sent: November 13, 2017 SAA Membership Join Deadline for Non-member Participants: November 15, 2017 SAA Participation Decision Letters from Program Committee: December 1, 2017