CALL FOR PAPERS
Up from the Ashes: Creativity and conservatism in rebuilding after disasters
Wars, earthquakes, and other calamities can destroy homes and public
buildings instantaneously, but in many cases, the inhabitants survive.
Whether in Late Bronze Age Greece, Nero’s Rome, or 19th century
Chicago, the choices made concerning rebuilding can reflect not only
the immediate physical and psychological effects of the fire, but can
also illuminate ways in which survivors identify themselves in relation
to their past and future, as well as how they view themselves within
political and ideological spheres of the community. Thus, the shape of
the new city often reflects aspects of the old, in a way that is
influenced by many factors, including the rate of survival from the
disaster, the nature of authority, the desire to prevent future
disasters, and the community’s reaction to the traumatic event or
events which destroyed their environment. Cities that remain derelict
also present an opportunity to clarify the relationship of survivors to
their former homes. Whether a site is left in ruins or relocated to a
more secure place, we can still learn much about the community’s
perception of the town and of the disaster. This colloquium invites
student papers from all time periods, addressing the archaeology of
rebuilding urban and village environments after natural and manmade
disasters. We welcome papers examining the effects of memory, trauma,
and ideology in establishing the post-disaster shape of cities, as well
as studies of the archaeological evidence for the changing topography
of urban environments.
This colloquium will be the fifth annual paper session organized by the
Student Affairs Interest Group (SAIG) of the Archaeological Institute
of America. It is intended not only to provide expanded opportunities
for student presentations at the Annual Meeting but also to showcase
innovative, interdisciplinary scholarship. Under the title “Up from
the Ashes: Creativity and conservatism in rebuilding after disasters”
the organizers will submit the selected papers as a colloquium session
to the next annual meeting of the AIA (January 3-6, 2008, Chicago).
All papers in the colloquium will be subject to acceptance by the AIA
Program for the Annual Meeting Committee, in accordance with standard
procedures.
The SAIG would like to remind all interested students that it is
possible for an individual to submit papers for both a colloquium
session and an open paper session at the AIA annual meetings. The
latter is automatically withdrawn from consideration if the former is
accepted.
Please send a CV and an abstract of no more than 250 words by February
21, 2007 to both session organizers, Lyra Monteiro ([log in to unmask])
and Natalie Abell ([log in to unmask]). In keeping with the
regulations of the AIA, we will accept only electronic submissions. All
abstracts must conform to AIA guidelines (see the American Journal of
Archaeology style guidelines, published in AJA 104:3-24, or the Annual
Meeting Section of the AIA website; esp. §§3.1-8, 6.5.,
www.archaeological.org). If the colloquium is accepted by the Program
for the Annual Meeting Committee all whose papers are included must be
members of the AIA in good standing by the time of the meeting.
--
Lyra D. Monteiro
PhD Student
Brown University
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World
70 Waterman St. Providence, RI 02906
(401) 954-9981
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