CALL FOR PAPERS – 2014 Society for American Archaeology (SAA) Session “Beyond the Horizons: exploring social integration during periods of regional diversity”
79^th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology
April 23-27, 2014

ABSTRACT: Horizons, or periods of broad regional integration, have traditionally received greater scholarly attention than the “intermediate” periods that precede or follow them. Chronological or theoretical frameworks that oscillate between horizontal integration and political disunity effectively define diverse political landscapes in oppositional terms—state vs. non-state, regional integration vs. regional fragmentation, or cultural florescence vs. cultural decadence—to the exclusion of more nuanced understandings of social, ideological and economic inter-connectedness during so-called “intermediate” or “post-classic” periods. Broadly, this session examines the core models of cultural development that guide archaeological investigation around the world, and asks: How well do chronological models of alternating horizontal integration accommodate the archaeological evidence of political diversity and inter-regional interaction in different world regions? What cultural continuities and innovations in subsistence, exchange, settlement organization, and mortuary practices are overlooked when we only focus on the absence or achievement of statehood? Bringing together examples from across the globe, this session explores the alternative modes of social integration, coordination and cooperation that arise in the absence of an integrative state apparatus or “elite culture” in order to reevaluate characterizations of social life as atomistic, decadent or fragmented during periods of regional diversity.

We would like to invite paper proposals that address the theme of the session with site- or region-specific data but also with an eye toward global comparison. We hope to have around 8-10 participants with research foci well-distributed around the globe, and 1-2 discussants.

Please respond to Esta dirección electrónica esta protegida contra spam bots. Necesita activar JavaScript para visualizarla if you are interested in participating by sending along a brief description of what you would like to present. Also, please pass along this information and abstract to any colleagues that might be interested.

Best,
Matthew Velasco and Lauren Kohut
Department of Anthropology
Vanderbilt University