Recently, anthropologists have been trying to challenge Western practices of knowledge production and understandings of existence. The theoretical oppositions at the core of Western thinking gave way to relational and new materialist endeavors.
The so-called “ontological turn” has opened doors to investigate the ways social scientists perform, produce, and disseminate their research. For instance, many archaeologists saw this process as an opportunity to go back to things and rethink archaeology as an ontological practice in itself, in which the reassembling of objects defines forms of being and becoming. However, very little has been discussed about its political implications and what seems to be a fethishization of the word “ontology”. These recent debates encourage scholars working with the materialities of the recent past to think about their responsibilities in the quest for alternative forms of being.
The Radical Archaeology Theory Symposium (R.A.T.S.) 2016 is intended as a forum to discuss the politics and ethics of the “ontological turn” and its impacts on the archaeologies of the contemporary past. We invite participants to discuss archaeology as a practice of becoming, and how it can trigger larger social engagements with the politics and ethics of the contemporary past. Issues to be addressed may include, among others:
- The relevance of ontological-oriented analyses of the contemporary past
- Politics of ontology as practical ethics
- Activist and community-based archaeologies.
Papers presenting case studies, and from intersecting fields are particularly welcomed.
Submit your abstract up to 250 words, along with your name, contact, institutional affiliation and three keywords.
Keynote speakers:
- Maria Theresia Starzmann, McGill University, Canada
- Ruth Van Dyke, Binghamton University, New York
- Severin Fowles, Columbia University, New York
- Þóra Pétursdóttir, University of Tromsø, Norway
Contact Info:
- Organization Committee: Maura Bainbridge, Ph.D. Candidate / Rui Gomes Coelho, Ph. D. Candidate
- Contact Email: radicalarchaeology[at]gmail.com