Scottish Archaeological Forum

Upcoming Conference: The Experience of Technology

Scottish Archaeological Forum Conference: 22nd/23rd October 2011, University of Glasgow.

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Keynote address: Prof. Olivier Gosselain, L'Université libre de Bruxelles

Session Chairs: Prof Ian Armit (University of Bradford), Prof Audrey Horning (Queens University Belfast), Prof Peter van Dommelen (University of Glasgow), and Dr Nyree Finlay (University of Glasgow).

The year 2011 is the thirtieth anniversary of the publication of the Scottish Archaeological Forum’s Early Technology in Northern Britain (Kenworthy 1981), the proceedings of the 1979 conference entitled ‘Archaeology and Early Technology in Scotland’. The papers within the volume generally focused on the production and manufacture of material culture within economic frameworks. In keeping with the zeitgeist of the 1970s, technology was considered as a separate object for research divorced from the social dimensions in which things were made and given meaning.

In the intervening period technology has retained a focus for study in archaeology, history, anthropology, philosophy and the social sciences. As we embrace the second decade of the 21st century there appears to be considerable scope for developing further the theme of technology as a sensuous and somatic experience within the social dimension as opposed to an extra-somatic object of study. This conference seeks to explore how technology, as a sensuous embodiment, interfaces with the auditory, haptic and olfactory experiences, which may incorporate aspects of phenomenology, behaviour, practice and agency, identity, materiality, deterritorialisation, landscape studies and other concepts.

Suggested Themes:

• Landscape and phenomenology
• Sensory experiences – auditory, haptic and olfactory
• Social dimension, agency, practice and behaviour
• Materiality – how objects can give meaning to the concept of somatic technology
• The philosophy of deterritorialisation – technology as an interface where object and subject are indivisible.

Papers are invited from people across the academic disciplines who are undertaking current research where aspects of technology are a principal focus. Your research need not necessarily be within Scottish contexts. Please provide an abstract of no more than 300 words. Papers will be restricted to 20 minutes.

Abstracts should be forwarded to: Dene Wright: a.wright.3@research.gla.ac.uk or Louisa Campbell: louisa.campbell@glasgow.ac.uk