Mobility and Memory in the Archaeology of the Middle Sea: Diachronic interdisciplinary explorations of a complex relationship.
17-18 December 2021, Dipartimento Storia Culture Civiltà, University of Bologna. Over the last decade the resurgence of migratory flows as well as the growth of other forms of movement of individuals and groups has attracted much attention within and beyond academia. Whil
e the pandemic has represented a considerable restriction to personal mobilities, the large masses of people currently on the move across the many crossings between the global south and north in the Middle Sea (and elsewhere) seem to suggest this was only momentary. Following this macroscopic historical trend and the important scientific developments of the so-called third science revolution, particularly within archaeology and history, mobility has been primarily explored with a temporal focus centred on its very act, rather than its effects in the medium and long term. Yet, time and memory, and related understanding of places were arguably critical in articulating the relationship between the identity of residents and newcomers, producing the background upon which dynamics of clash or tolerance unfolded. The aim of this conference is to produce an in-depth diachronic and interdisciplinary assessment of the relationship between mobility, identity and memory in the longue durée of an area that has been one of the main foci of mobility in the world, the Mediterranean, (broadly intended), one of the privileged avenues of east-west encounter through the last few millennia. We particularly welcome contributions from the broad field of Archaeology and Heritage Studies dealing with the Mediterranean, addressing issues like:
- The role of memory and related places, objects and practices in promoting clash or mutual respect between identities of newcomers and established communities. In what ways is memory mobilised to trigger acceptance instead of exclusion?
- The articulation of memory in situations of displacement where individual or groups have been completely removed from their original place, such as those currently characterising the eastern coast of the Middle Sea (as well as many other areas). What strategies are/can be employed to mitigate the loss of and/or to help re-creating memory?
- The ethics and politics of the memory of mobility. How is ancient mobility used nowadays to reinforce or dismiss claims of legitimacy to certain places made by certain groups? papers at [email protected]
DEADLINE: 19th November 2021.
