Time:
20-22 June 1998
Deadline for Title and Abstract:
October 15 1996
Conference Theme:
Disciplines such as anthropology, sociology and human geography have
experienced an explosion of interest in the human body in recent years, as
a result of the increasing erosion of binarisms such as the mind/body
dichotomy. Many archaeologists who attempt to focus on the body are still
trapped in the logocentric discourses which dominate the discipline,
resulting in bodies without materiality, in disembodied narratives, or/and
tend to reproduce the prevailing western views on the body and embodiment.
At the very best, Foucaultian notions of the body as passive object of
power characterise many writings.
This informal workshop aims to bring together archaeologists and colleagues from other disciplines who share an interest on the archaeology of the body, with the aim of exploring the possibilities and the potentials of an archaeology with real bodies, with human organisms who 'think through their bodies', via senses, emotions and bodily actions. It aims to debate the links between bodily practices and enabling and constraining power, and the construction and deconstruction of identity roles. Moreover, it aims to broaden the scope of an archaeology of the body which usually focuses on limited aspects of archaeological work such as iconographic studies and physical anthropological analysis.
It is expected that a book will result from the workshop. Further details of the conference and abstracts are available via: http://archaeology.lamp.ac.uk/Arch/thinkbody.html Proposals for papers should be submitted to the organisers as soon as possible and at any event by the end of February when the programme will be finalised.
Contact:
Dr. Yannis Hamilakis (y.hamilakis@lamp.ac.uk) Dr. Sarah Tarlow (s.tarlow@lamp.ac.uk) Department of Archaeology, University of Wales, Lampeter, Ceredigion SA48 7ED Wales, U.K. Mark Pluciennik Department of Archaeology, University of Wales, Lampeter, Ceredigion SA48 7ED Wakles, UK Tel: 01570 424732 Fax: 01570 423669 Email: m.pluciennik@lamp.ac.uk