Under the philosophy of "better late than never", I wanted to post  
this information for everyone not attending the SHA meeting in New  
Mexico this week.  The papers for our electronic symposium about the  
materials science and the study of ceramic industries during the  
formation of the modern world, 1500 to present.  The papers absent  
from the website are those by Blackman et al (withdrawn) and mine,  
which I will post following the discussion at the meeting.
http://www.ss.mtu.edu/faculty/Scarlett/research/sha08.htm
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abstract:
In the past 15 years, historical archaeologists have collaborated in  
an unprecedented effort to bring the materials scientist's  
perspective into discussions of ceramic artifacts.  Collaboration has  
brought well-established, "tried-and-true" tools to help expand our  
understanding of ceramics in the rise of the modern world.  The  
annual meeting provides an opportunity to overview the results of  
individual and collaborative research programs, reflecting upon  
progress in what we have learned.  What have the material sciences  
contributed to our understanding of ceramic and pottery traditions in  
different places?  How have the archaeometric efforts related to  
larger trends in ceramic analyses?  What have been our successes?  
Where are our shortcomings?  What do these trajectories indicate  
regarding our future challenges?

At the 41st annual Conference on Historical and Underwater  
Archaeology, Members of the Society for Historical Archaeology will  
gather to discuss these issues on January 9-12, 2008, in Albuquerque,  
New Mexico.  The session was designed as an electronic symposium and  
the speakers comments, notes, outlines, and more formal essays will  
be posted on-line, along with links to other related on-line  
publications.  Several of those papers are on-line at this address:

http://www.ss.mtu.edu/faculty/Scarlett/research/sha08.htm


Timothy Scarlett
Assistant Professor of Archaeology
Department of Social Sciences/AOB 209
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Ave.
Houghton, MI 49931
[log in to unmask]
(906)487-2359 (office)
(906)487-2468 (fax)
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