Session Title:

A symmetrical archaeology

Session Organizers:

Bjørnar Olsen University of Tromsø, Norway

Michael Shanks Stanford University

Timothy Webmoor Stanford University

Christopher Witmore Stanford University

Sponsored: Stanford Humanities Lab and MetaMedia Laboratories, Stanford University

Session Abstract Submitted to SAA:

With few exceptions archaeology under-theorized its relationship to the material past prior to Clarke's 'loss of innocence'. Subsequently, a burgeoning 'theory literature' has attempted to systematize the relations between human behaviour and material culture. We argue that the resultant 'turns'/diatribe characterizing recent archaeological thinking derives from the shared, humanist presupposition of a radical division between people and things. In accentuating links and crossovers with technoscience studies and empirical philosophy, this session seeks to re-characterize archaeology's unique role in studying mixtures of humans (behaviour) and material things. Such a 'symmetry' of people-things forefronts archaeology in an inclusive 'ecology' of 'naturecultures'.

Participants:

Dan Hicks, Dept. of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Bristol, UK / Dan.Hicks@bristol.ac.uk

Beyond Asymmetry: A view from historical archaeology

Bjørnar Olsen, Institute of Archaeology, University of Tromsø, Norway / bjornaro@sv.uit.no

Geneology of Asymetry: why things were forgotten

Alfredo Ruibal, Archaeology Center, Stanford University / aruibal@stanford.edu

The Past was Tomorrow. Towards an archaeology of the vanishing present

John Schofield, English Heritage, UK / John.Schofield@english-heritage.org.uk

Towards Symmetry in Heritage Management Practice

Michael Shanks, Dept. of Classics, Stanford University / mshanks@stanford.edu

From Postprocessualism to Symmetrical Archaeology

Timothy Webmoor, Dept. of Cultural/Social Anthropology, Stanford University / twebmoor@stanford.edu

Lessons From the Real: mediating people-things in a symmetrical archaeology

Christopher Witmore, Dept. of Classics, Stanford University / cwitmore@stanford.edu

A Past No Longer Past: Some implications for a symmetrical archaeology

SAA Link to Session: SAA session

Further Contact:

Timothy Webmoor Dept. of Cultural and Social Anthropology Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305-2145 Email: twebmoor@stanford.edu

Download
ViewSAA'06-session abstract.doc

Download
ViewSAA'06-Prelim.Program.pdf

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Posted at Jun 02/2005 02:05PM:
chris witmore: We need to put together the conference bid for the SAA's...

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Posted at Jun 07/2005 07:44AM:
tim webmoor: Yes, here are the links, we just need a firm list of who will be joining us: SAA symposium form, SAA symposium instructions. The dates: April 26th-30th, 2006. The Deadlines: Sept.7th, 2005. We will need to have sense of discussants vs. presenters - up to 16. There is of course always TAG - sessions due soon.Download
ViewTAG_SESSION_PROPOSAL_GUIDELINES.doc.

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Posted at Sep 07/2005 10:21AM:
tim webmoor: Alright everyone, here is the link for the SAA'06 Session: SAA Registration. Each of your 100wd abstracts + registration is required individually by the 14th at the latest. You can view who has registered/who has not. Its stringent with the SAA's: if anyone does not register, the entire session will be cancelled. So please register/enter your details before the deadline.

Download
ViewSAA'06-session abstract.doc-w/Chris+Bjornar's comments

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Posted at Apr 28/2006 11:17PM:
rj bravo: Hi. I just want to congratulate and thank the participants of this SAA symposium for a great job. I hope to see your papers on the site soon...if possible.

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Posted at May 02/2006 11:14AM:
Timothy Webmoor: Thanks for the comments RJ - 2 of the papers (MS + TWM) are up and the rest are coming shortly. Best.

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Download
ViewComentarios-ArqueologiaSi.doc - comments from Alfredo's symposium on Symmetrical Archaeology

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