Lieux de Mémoire and Sites of De-Subjectivation

This essay consists of four different elements that approach the nexus of memory, place/space and subjectivity in different ways. I start out with a description of the concept of lieux de mémoire as formulated by Pierre Nora, its connections to Marc Augé’s “non-places” and a critique of these ideas. I then discuss the postcolonial notion of Third Space as an alterna- tive approach to the nexus of memory and space. Finally, an archaeological example of a megalithic site in Jordan illustrates the advantages and difficulties of mobilizing the idea of Third Spaces in archaeological contexts

an Example of Third Space in Archaeology

In this paper, I briefly elaborate on the differences between two notions of third space, one rooted in postcolonial theory, the other in Marxist geography. Marxist geography is concerned with the production of antagonistic spatialities. I use this idea to analyze various notions of space of and in the Iranian Iron Age polity of the Medes. The main issue is the interpretation of “squatting” habitations at the two sites of Tepe Nush-i Jan and Godin Tepe. I argue that the flimsy walls set into the massive architecture of earlier levels are a sign of tensions over conflictual spatialities

Remarks on Approaches and Concepts

This introduction to a set of papers on innovations in ancient societies discusses an overview of crucial issues raised in the collected contributions. It is evident that the esteem for innovations in different societies was highly uneven. Most of the contributions collected here argue that in non-modern circumstances, innovations had to be inserted into existing cultural traditions with utmost care to be successful.Diese Einleitung zu Innovationen in vormodernen Gesellschaften gibt eine Übersicht über die grundsätzlichen Fragen, die in den folgenden Einzelbeiträgen angesprochen werden. Deutlich wird, dass die Bewertung von Innovationen in unterschiedlichen Kulturen stark variierte. Die meisten der hier versammelten Artikel deuten darauf hin, dass Innovationen in nicht-modernen Gesellschaftszusammenhängen nur dann erfolgreich waren, wenn sie mit großer Sorgfalt in existierende kulturelle Traditionen eingeschrieben wurden

Are all things created equal? The incidental in archaeology

Archaeologists evince a strong tendency to impute significance to the material traces they study, a propensity that has been especially marked since the post-processual emphasis on meaning and that has taken on renewed vigour with the turn to materiality. But are there not situations in which things are rather incidental or insignificant? This set of essays emerged from a workshop held in Berlin in April 2018, in which a group of scholars was invited to discuss the place of the incidental in social life in general and in archaeology in particular. Rather than lengthy formal papers, we offer an introduction that presents a general set of reflections on the issue of the incidentalness of things, followed by essays that pursue particular directions raised by that introduction as well as our discussions in Berlin. It is our hope that these brief forays into a complex topic will stimulate further work on this subject

Mapping Memory, Space and Conflict

Our introduction to the volume sets the discussion about memory in archaeology into current contexts, establishes our reasons for producing this book and discusses a number of crucial aspects of memory, space, and identity. We provide a brief history of memory studies with a focus on contributions from archaeology and discuss a number of topics that play important roles in the papers. These include the relations between forgetting and remem- bering, and between space, place and memory. Along with our authors, we emphasize that memory is a matter of practices, not just of mindsets. A further element in our discussions is the interface between memory, duration, and history. All of these issues coalesce in an important background theme, the political nature of various modes of memor

Palestinian Looted Tombs and their Archaeological Investigation

This report describes archaeological rescue work in four looted tombs from late Roman and early Byzantine times in the surroundings of Ramallah, located in the Occupied Palestinian National Territories (OPNT). One goal of our work was to assess in detail how much of the original remains of a tomb are left behind after looting. A second aim was to explore the actual practices of looting by comparing interviews with looters with the results of an archaeological examination of looting practices of these tombs. This provides a unique comparative perspective that draws on oral history and its material correlates. Finally, this work helps to assess future possibilities for reconstructing what has been lost during looting events. The results of the research include unexpected insights, such as the repetitive character of looting single tombs, the presence of modern material remains of the looting process itself, but also the use of previously looted tombs for new purposes

Spatial Effects of Technological Innovations and Changing Ways of Life

Die Forschergruppe A-II befasst sich mit den Wechselwirkungen zwischen technologischen und sozialen Veränderungen und mit der Dynamik von Mensch- Umwelt-Interaktionen. Der Schwerpunkt liegt hierbei auf der Untersuchung der Genese raumbezogener wie auch raumwirksamer Erfindungen (Keramikproduktion, Tierdomestikation, frühe Rad- und Wagentechnologie, Zugtiernutzung, frühes Hirtentum, Reiternomadismus) und den Mechanismen der Verbreitung dieser Innovationen. Hierbei gilt es zu untersuchen, inwiefern der zentrale Aspekt der räumlichen und sozialen Mobilität einerseits als Folge bestimmter technologischer Innovationen und andererseits als Voraussetzung für die Verbreitung von Innovationen angesehen werden kann. Darüber hinaus werden an mehreren Orten im eurasischen Steppenraum und in Zentralasien die weitreichenden Auswirkungen technologischer Innovationen auf demographische, soziale, ökonomische und räumliche Parameter in verschiedenen Projekten untersucht. Zum Einsatz kommen dabei sowohl archäologische Ausgrabungen unter Hinzuziehung naturwissenschaftlicher Verfahren aus den Bereichen Geophysik, Archäozoologie, Paläoethnobotanik, Pedologie und Geomorphologie als auch reine Laboranalysen an menschlichen und tierischen Zähnen und Knochen, zur Erhebung von isotopenchemischen Daten. Als theoretische Grundlagen wurden und werden in der Forschergruppe insbesondere die zentralen Begriffe Innovation, Mobilität und Wissen diskutiert

Intention/Intentionalität

Verwendung der Begriffe 'Intention' und 'Intentionalität' in verschiedenen Fachdiskursen

Empowerment durch wen und für wen?

In our concluding commentary on this theme issue, we would like to take a step back and address some questions about activism in general and the values we attach to it.In unserem abschließenden Kommentar zu diesem FKA-Themenheft möchten wir einen Schritt zurücktreten und einige Fragen zum Aktivismus im Allgemeinen und zu den Werten, die wir ihm beimessen, ansprechen