Theme:
4. People of the Present – Peopling the Past
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
What Now, Theoretical Archaeology? Thinking Theory in the Fourth Scientific Revolution
Content:
In the last decades, archaeological theory entered a proficuous state. Multiple approaches emerged as well as new debates and discussions within the field. From new ontological perspectives, new materialisms and a shift on Big Data and technological advancements, theory encompasses, in its present state, a vast multiplicity of dimensions. The dawn of the Fourth Scientific Revolution – Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Deep Learning, Genetics and others – has decisively changed archaeological practice and theory. The methodological changes, and new research goals associated with it, reshaped Archaeology as a field of study. Theoretical archaeology, following the overarching trends of Archaeology, was also decisively affected. But, in this process, what represents an epistemic breaking point from previous schools of thought? How is theoretical archaeology mutating in the wake of this scientific revolution? In a sense: quo vadis, theoretical archaeology?
This session aims to reflect upon this question and in the nature of the archaeological theory in-itself, in its current state. If theory changes direction, mutates or shifts, the forms that it takes are of utmost importance for archaeologists. And, perhaps, we, as a community, will be confronted with realities that are unexpected: theories that are returning to the archaeological discourse; perspectives not yet explored and ideas that are imposed or even relegated to a plane of non-existence, because of their characteristics.
Whatever the results, the goal of this session is precisely to engage in this debate. We welcome any archaeologists, students, practitioners or researchers to present their papers with their thoughts, experiences and opinions about the direction that archaeological theory is heading, as the most efficient way to walk a path is to do it with a destination in mind.
Keywords:
Archaeological Theory, Fourth Scientific Revolution, Epistemology, Future directions
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Daniel Carvalho (Spain) 1,2
Co-organisers:
Frederico Agosto (Portugal) 2,3
Affiliations:
1. Quantitative Archaeology Lab - Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
2. UNIARQ - Center of Archaeology of the University of Lisbon
3. CFUL - Center of Philosophy of the University of Lisbon
THIS SESSION CAN NOT BE SELECTED AT THIS MOMENT