Conference Alert/CFP: Up from the Ashes: Creativity and conservatism in rebuilding after disasters

From H-ArtHist:

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 ofthe 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 amore 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 (lmonteir@umich.edu )
and Natalie Abell (abelln@email.uc.edu ). 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.

Comments

Popular Posts