Executive News, News from WAC Members, News Items, Excerpts from Other Archaeological Associations' Newsletters

eNewsletters

Volume 39 December 2011

Click here to download PDF

Editors: Marcus Brittain (mb654@cam.ac.uk) and Marisol Rodriguez Miranda (marirodz@gmail.com)

1. Executive News

The year 2011 has been exciting and productive for the World Archaeological Congress.  We have successfully undertaken a wide range of activities, had heated debates on issues of global importance, and we have continued to grow as a global organization of disparate and interesting peoples.

WAC-7
The Seventh World Archaeological Congress (WAC-7) will be held in Jordan, 14-18th January, 2013.  Shortly, there will be a call for theme, session and paper proposals. The Academic Secretary of WAC-7 is Talal Akasheh. King Abdullah has kindly agreed to the Patron on this Congress.  The first call for papers will be issued in the new year.

Special Issue of Archaeologies on the Future of WAC
The Editors of Archaeologies, Nick Shepherd and Cristobal Gnecco, have called for contributions to a special issue on the future of the World Archaeological Congress.  They are devoting the April 2012 issue of Archaeologies to this topic. The deadline for submission is February 10th, 2012.  Papers can be written in any language, although to ensure a wide communication people are encouraged to write them in English.

Resolutions from the WAC Inter-Congress in Ramallah
Resolutions emerging from the WAC Inter-Congress on the topic of Structural Violence, which was held in Ramallah, Palestine are now available on the WAC website.

WAC Inter-Congress Meetings in 2011
Two WAC Inter-Congresses were held in 2011. In June, Larry Zimmerman and Julie Hollowell  organized a WAC  Inter-Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, in collaboration with the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art and the 17th Annual Indian Market and Festival.  It was held on the topic of on Indigenous People and Museums.   This conference furthered WAC’s support for Indigenous peoples, and also for students working in this area. Student awards were given to Jonathan Eaton (University of Toronto), Justin Ellis (IUPUI), Terry Point (Musqueam Indian Band), Jordan Wilson (The University of British Columbia); Tomás Sepúlveda (University of Barcelona); and Rachael Kiddey (University of York).

In July, Chen Xingcan and Wang Renyu, in China, and Peter Stone, from the U.K organised a WAC Inter-Congress on Heritage Management in East and South East Asia. This I-C was held at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China. This conference played an important role in highlighting best practice in cultural heritage management, especially in terms of relationships with communities.  It was an important conference in terms of developing disciplinary relationships within the region of East and South East Asia.  The papers from this Inter-Congress will be published in both Chinese and English.

WAC Student Writing Competition
We would like to draw students’ attention to the World Archaeology Congress Student Writing Competition.  This is a newly organized annual prize intended to showcase original student research as an integral part of WAC and the future of the discipline of archaeology. All student members of WAC are eligible to submit a paper for consideration of this prize.

The winner of the WAC Student Writing Competition will receive a citation from the WAC Executive, a 4-year membership to WAC, and guarantee of review for publication of the paper in a future edition of Archaeologies.

The deadline for submission is February 1st, 2012.  Further information on WAC’s Student Writing Competition is available here.

Global Libraries Program
This program continues strongly. Books mailed out in 2011 as part of the Global Libraries Program include A Fearsome Heritage (Schofield and Cocroft, 2007), Archaeologies of Art (Domingo Sanz et al., 2007), Archaeology and Capitalism (Hamilakis and Duke, 2007), Archaeologies of Placemaking (Rubertone, 2008), Landscapes of Clearance (Smith and Gazin-Schwart, 2008), Managing Archaeological Resources (McMannamon et al., 2008), Envisioning Landscape (Hicks et al., 2007), Being and Becoming Indigenous Archaeologists (Nicholas, 2010), Handbook of Postcolonial Archaeology (Lydon and Rizvi, 2010) and Coexistence and Cultural Transmission in Archaeology (Matsumoto et al., 2011). All books are donated, so that the main problem with this program is the cost of postage.  This delays the posting of some books. 

The WAC Executive and Council would like to thank the Global Libraries team, especially Ashley Sands, in the US, and Anastasia Tsimourtos, in Australia, Tsimourtos for the many hours they have spent packing and posting the books for this program.

Archaeologists without Borders Program
The WAC Archaeologists without Borders Program is a unique endeavour that supports archaeological education and training in economically disadvantaged countries. The WAC Executive is currently seeking proposals for support for an Archaeologists without Borders Program to be held between March 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012. Applications for support will be accepted until January 15 2012. To take part in the program, scholars should be members of WAC.  Further information is available on the WAC website here.

Sponsored Memberships
The Executive is sending out a call for WAC members to nominate Indigenous people, and people from economically disadvantaged countries for sponsored membership of WAC.  Our aim is to increase representation in under-represented regions, as well as our Indigenous membership.  In order to be eligible for nomination, the person should have not been a member of WAC in the past.  Sponsored membership is a once up benefit for a duration of two years, after which we hope sponsored members will join WAC in the normal way. Nomination forms can be downloaded from the WAC website.  Nominations should be sent to the WAC Membership Secretary, Akira Matsuda akiramtsd@gmail.com.

Membership Renewal
We would like to remind WAC members that it is time to pay our membership fees. These funds cover the cost of the journal, and contribute towards a range of activities, such as the Archaeologists without Borders Program.  If you have any doubts about your membership status, please check this with the WAC Membership Secretary, Akira Matsuda, akiramtsd@gmail.com.

WAC E-News
This year saw a change in the editorial team for the WAC E-News, WAC’s newsletter.  After two years of endeavor, Shoshaunna Parks was replaced by Marcus Brittain.  Marisol Rodriguez Miranda continues on as Co-Editor.  We would like to thank all three for their service to WAC.  Claire Smith would especially like to thank Shoshi and Marcus for their patience when she is running late with her part of the newsletter.

Finally, the WAC Executive and Council would like to thank all WAC members who have worked so hard on various projects during the year.  We are an organisation of volunteers and without your help, WAC would not be able to achieve any of its programs or activities.

We wish all of you all the best for the holiday season.

Claire Smith, for WAC Executive and Council

2. News Items

WORLD ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONGRESS APPLAUDS THE REMOVAL OF A TJURINGA STONE FROM CANTERBURY AUCTION GALLERIES SALE AND URGES THAT IT BE TREATED WITH PROPER RESPECT

The World Archaeological Congress applauds the decision by the Canterbury Auction Galleries to withdraw from sale a sacred Aboriginal Tjuringa stone but notes that it must now be treated properly. This stone holds sacred power and is intimately tied to the land from which it was removed. In addition, it can be dangerous for those without the proper knowledge to view the object. It is important that the community to which this object is sacred be involved in determining its disposition.

"WAC is extremely concerned that this object may still be subject to private sale and urges all parties to the sale to begin to consult with the Indigenous communities to whom this object is sacred," stated WAC President Claire Smith. "Everyone should now be aware that this stone is a sacred item and should be treated as such."

According to David Ross of the Central land Council, a Commonwealth Statutory Authority with responsibility for representing the views and wishes of Aboriginal peoples within the CLC's region, “With regard to the object put up for auction recently by the Canterbury auction house, the CLC supports its return to the appropriate custodians, following a process of consultations to seek their views. The CLC would be happy to undertake those consultations.” He further stated “These artefacts are repositories of spiritual powers, directly related to important sites on the land, and provide an intimate link between Aboriginal people and their land. Those who inappropriately access or use such objects are believed to be endangering themselves by doing so. They are also endangering the health and wellbeing of the correct custodians.”

The World Archaeological Congress bases its objection to this sale on the WAC Code of Ethics, which includes   the Tamaki Makau--‐rau Accord on the Display of Human Remains and Sacred Objects. The Tamaki Makau--‐rau Accord states in part “We agree that the display of human remains or sacred objects may serve to illuminate our common humanity. As archaeologists, we believe that good science is guided by ethical principles and that our work must involve consultation and collaboration with communities.”

Professor Smith noted that the "Sacred material from all cultures should be accorded respect regardless of its country of origin, religious affiliation or cultural tradition." She stated, "The buying and selling of the Tjuringa stone cannot be considered respectful treatment."

GLOBAL SOUTH SEPHIS e-MAGAZINE, Issue 7.4 (Oct 2011)

http://sephisemagazine.org/current/current.html

This special issue is created out of the Visual Methodologies Workshop held in Cairo sometime back. This is the first instance where the ezine is carrying a video along with the pictures. You will get the video link in the second page of the first article, p. 10. It is an interesting ten minutes shoot by one of the participants and authors of the first piece. Comments and suggestions are welcomed by the editorial team.

Sephis is now on Facebook and LinkedIn social media networks. You can be a Sephis fan on Facebook and join the Sephis LinkedIn group, and stay informed about our activities, engage in discussion, connect with other people in the Sephis network etc.

FaceBook

LinkedIn

ICCROM NEWSLETTER 37 ANNUAL REPORT

The latest ICCROM Newsletter/Annual Report is now available for downloading. This issue features the activities that were carried out by ICCROM over the last year, including many worldwide courses, exciting new projects such as RE-ORG, updates of interns and fellows, and much more.

Newsletter 37: annual report http://www.iccrom.org/pdf/ICCROM_newsl37-2011_en.pdf

Subscribe to ICCROM e-News http://www.iccrom.org/eng/e-news_sub_en.asp

Vous pouvez maintenant télécharger notre dernière Chronique / Rapport Annuel. Ce numéro présente les activités qui ont été menées par l'ICCROM au cours de la dernière année, y compris nos nombreux cours dans le monde entier, des nouveaux projets intéressants tels que RE-ORG, des informations sur nos stagiaires et boursiers, et bien davantage.

Chronique 37 : Rapport annuel http://www.iccrom.org/pdf/ICCROM_newsl37-2011_fr.pdf

Abonnement sur la liste CyberInfos http://www.iccrom.org/fra/e-news_sub_fr.asp

1ST INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY SOKENDAI-PUCP (SIAP 2011)
September 23-25, 2011, Lima, Peru

As a joint initiative between The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI – Japan), and the Humanities Department from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), the Symposium had an attendance of 130, including archaeologists, educators, journalists and public delegates. There were 25 presentations by researchers from Japan, Peru and Colombia, showing that this field is becoming increasingly popular in the Latin American region. Themes included “Archaeology and the media”, “Archaeology and Education”, and “Archaeology and Development Politics”, which provided an opportunity to establish a network of specialists with common interests, as well as to open dialogue regarding the future of Public Archaeology and Applied Archaeology in Latin America. The conference report and video presentations will be published in 2012 as Arkeos, Revista Electrónica de Arqueología PUCP http://mileto.pucp.edu.pe/arkeos/

Information submitted by: Daniel D. Saucedo Segami (PhD. Candidate from the School of Cultural Studies, at The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Japan, and Research Fellow from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science).

PAST PRESERVERS  –  CALL FOR AUTHORS

Past Preservers is a media consultancy looking for writers with the wit and flair to bring history alive through the Rama application for smart phones. Rama is an exciting travel application that combines engaging and knowledgeable writing with unique historical images. The tours are designed around a series of waypoints that allow users to discover the hidden past and engage with the present. If you have a historical passion that you want to share with the world, and the images in mind to do it, we would love to hear from you. Author info packs can be requested by writing to info@pastpreservers.com.

Rama was named as one of the ten best new travel apps by BBC Travel in 2010 and can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/iTunesRama.

3. News from WAC Members

PROFESSOR MARGARITA DÍAZ-ANDREU has been appointed an ICREA Research Professor with the Departament de Prehistòria, Universitat de Barcelona, Her new contact details are:

Prof. Margarita Díaz-Andreu,
ICREA Research Professor
Departament de Prehistòria, H. Antiga i Arqueologia
Facultat de Geografia i Història, Universitat de Barcelona
Carrer de Montalegre, 6.
08001 Barcelona (SPAIN)
E-mail: mdiazandreu@ub.edu

BRYAN GORDON (Curator Emeritus Research, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Quebec, and Adjunct Professor, Sociology and Anthropology Department, Carleton University, Ottawa) continues to test and date rock art, primarily petroglyphs after his successful pictograph dating program, and looks forward to receiving AMS dates for papers to be given at future meetings, such as IFRAO in La Paz, next June. For more information about his techniques and current fieldwork, see:

http://http-server.carleton.ca/~bgordon/Journal/Web_Journal.htm

DANIEL D. SAUCEDO SEGAMI (PhD. Candidate from the School of Cultural Studies, at The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Japan, and Research Fellow from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science.) is carrying out fieldwork for his Doctoral thesis in the surrounding villages of the protected Pomac Forest Historical Sanctuary, within the archaeologically sensitive Lambayeque province of north Peru. His thesis, entitled Public Archaeology and Heritage Protection in the North Coast of Modern Peru, aims to understand the means by which local people relate to archaeological sites situated around them and the nature of their relationship with archaeologists responsible for this area. The fieldwork entails an ethnographic study of the area while collecting specific information related to the archaeological sites through interviews and participant observation. Collected data will contribute towards a deeper understanding of issues regarding the protection of archaeological heritage, whilst contrasting archaeological narratives to local knowledge of archaeological sites.  Daniel may be contacted at: ddss79@gmail.com

4. New publications by WAC members

Virginia Steen-McIntyre (Idaho Springs, Colorado USA) is pleased to announce that after a struggle lasting almost five years, the following professional paper is now online:

Malde, Harold E., Steen-McIntyre, Virginia, Naeser, Charles W. and VanLandingham, Sam L. 2011. The stratigraphic debate at Hueyatlaco, Valsequillo, Mexico. Palaeontologia Electronica Vol. 14, Issue 3 http://palaeo-electronica.org/2011_3/27_malde/index.html

It gives geological evidence for the age of the Hueyatlaco archaeological site, Valsequillo, Mexico (at least 250,000 years old.) The authors are all geologists.  We learned April 1 that the site itself, at least the part above the high-water level of the Valsequillo reservoir, had been destroyed:  bulldozed, landscaped, and criss-crossed with high concrete-block walls.  For background on the site, see the articles by various scientists in the online newsletter, Pleistocene Coalition News, especially those appearing since the May-June 2011 issue. http://pleistocenecoalition.com/#pleistocene_coalition_news

LA RECUPERACIÓN DE TECNOLOGÍAS INDÍGENAS: ARQUEOLOGÍA, TECNOLOGÍA Y DESARROLO EN LOS ANDES

(Recovering Indigenous Technologies: Archaeology, Technology and Development in the Andes)

by Dr. Alexander Herrera Wassilowsky
2011. pp.204. Bogotá & Lima: CLACSO, IEP & Uniandes
ISBN/ISSN: 978-958-695-622-2

Dr. Alexander Herrera Wassilowsky is Profesor Asociado at the Departamento de Antropología, Universidad de los Andes

Contents and ordering information can be found here: http://purolibros.historiaglobalonline.com/2011/09/la-recuperacion-de-tecnologias-indigenas-arqueologia-tecnologia-y-desarrollo-en-los-andes/

FLUID PASTS: ARCHAEOLOGY OF FLOW

by Matt Edgeworth
2011. Bloomsbury Academic: London
ISBN-10: 071563982X

Dr Matt Edgeworth is Honorary Research Fellow in Archaeology, University of Leicester, United Kingdom

The book takes a global perspective on the archaeology of rivers, and past human entanglements with other kinds of flowing materials. It argues that rivers, as interminglings of natural and cultural forces, are as susceptible to archaeological analysis as other parts of landscapes and townscapes.

Contents and ordering information can be found here:

http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/archaeology/people/edgeworth/fluid-pasts-archaeology-of-flow

EN BUSCA DEL PASADO GUANCHE. HISTORIA DE LA ARQUEOLOGÍA EN CANARIAS
By José Farrujia de la Rosa
2011. Edicion KA, pp.282

This monograph, written in Spanish, discusses the birth and development of Archaeology in the Canary Islands, from its origins in the second half of the nineteenth century up to the late Franco dictatorship. In parallel, it reflects upon the stereotype created for the Guanches (Indigenous Canarian people), and how it offers more information on the colonists themselves, rather than on the colonized populations. Includes a preface by Alain Schnapp.

Este libro recoge la historia intelectual, social y cultural de la Arqueología en Canarias. A partir de una mirada externalista, donde la historia de la ciencia no puede comprenderse sin examinar las condiciones contextuales (economía, sociedad, política, ideología) de las que depende, la presente monografía analiza el nacimiento y desarrollo de la Arqueología en Canarias, desde sus orígenes, en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX, hasta las postrimerías del franquismo. De forma pararela, refleja cuál es el estereotipo que se ha creado del guanche y muestra cómo éste ofrece más información sobre el propio colonizador, antes que sobre el propio colonizado, el indígena canario.

Se puede adquirir en:
The book can be ordered at: http://www.libreriacanaima.com/busqueda/listaLibros.php?tipoBus=full&palabrasBusqueda=pasado+guanche&boton=Buscar

TEN THOUSAND YEARS ALONG THE MIDDLE DANUBE
LIFE AND EARLY COMMUNITIES FROM PREHISTORY TO HISTORY
Edited by Gyöngyi Kovács and Gabriella Kulcsár
ISBN 978-963-9911-26-0
HU – ISSN 0237-9090

The present volume offers a selection of the results of the multidisciplinary Danubius Project conducted between 1999 and 2004 by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS). The principal goal of the HAS Danubius Project was the exploration of various aspects of the river’s geographical, environmental, ecological, botanical, economic and cultural impact. The Danube is one of the major European rivers, flowing through many diverse regions along its many thousands of kilometres long course. The studies written by Hungarian and Slovakian archaeologists cover the role of the Danube in linking peoples and regions, in promoting interaction between them or, conversely, in acting as a natural barrier during the vast period from prehistory to the Middle Ages. The papers collected in this volume vary in their scope, ranging from a factual presentation of finds to broader analyses, all with the aim of revealing various facets of the successive millennia in the region. The publication of the volume was made possible by a generous grant from the National Cultural Fund.
http://www.archaeolingua.hu/

A HISTORY OF CENTRAL EUROPEAN ARCHAEOLOGY: THEORY, METHODS, AND POLITICS
Edited by Alexander Gramsch and Ulrike Sommer
ISBN 978-963-9911-23-9
HU-ISSN 1216-6847

Is Central European archaeology atheoretical? If so, is this because it was (and is?) influenced heavily by German archaeology? Is there such a thing as “a” Central European archaeology at all? This volume approaches these questions from a number of angles. Deriving from a session organised by the German Theoretical Archaeology Group the papers assembled here reveal how universalist thought can be used for nationalist purposes, discuss Kossinnism in Poland and the influence of ”Siedlungsarchäologie”, and highlight how politics have affected the communication of European archaeologists from the very beginning and all through the 20th century. Research attitudes such as empiricism, a “theory follows data” approach, and the “love-hate relationship” of the German tradition towards overt theorising are analysed. The papers also expose a wide array of new topics and research questions that were developed in Central Europe in recent years.
http://www.archaeolingua.hu/

ÜBER DIE GRENZEN UND ZWISCHEN DEN DISZIPLINEN: FÄCHERÜBERGREIFENDE ZUSAMMENARBEIT IM FORSCHUNGSFELD HISTORISCHER MENSCH-UMWELT-BEZIEHUNGEN
(Over boundaries and among disciplines. An interdisciplinary collaboration on historical relations between man and environment.)
Edited by Thomas Meier und Petra Tillessen
ISBN 978 963 99 11 22 2

“Interdisciplinarity” belongs to the very fashionable notions of science since long years. In spite of the fact that several people have a completely different understanding of the word, the tendency of trying to put into practice a research that goes over the boundaries of certain professions or branches of study can continuously be felt. However, there is still no routine for such practical work. Based on some personal experience, the editors of this volume have organized a workshop on the topic of interdisciplinary collaboration on historical relations between man and environment. In the center of their interest stood the circumstances, methods and the boundaries of such collaborations. The studies of 33 (mainly German) researchers  of 15 academic professions are to  be read in the volume accompanied by English summaries.  They partly analyse social and theoretical questions of academic research concepts and partly report on special experiences regarding interdisciplinarity in projects referring to the history of environment.
http://www.archaeolingua.hu/

New Titles from Left Coast Press

Please click here see our latest catalogue of WAC titles! WAC members receive a 20% discount on hardcovers and a 30% discount on paperbacks (insert discount code L3410 at checkout)
For more information, contact Caryn Berg at archaeology@LCoastPress.com

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND ARCHAEOLOGY IN LATIN AMERICA
Cristóbal Gnecco and Patricia Ayala, editors
April 2011. 352 pages, $89 Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-61132-015-2
http://lcoastpress.com/book.php?id=335

This book is the first to describe indigenous archaeology in Latin America for an English speaking audience. Eighteen chapters primarily by Latin American scholars describe relations between indigenous peoples and archaeology in the frame of national histories and examine the emergence of the native interest in their heritage. Relationships between archaeology and native communities are ambivalent: sometimes an escalating battleground, sometimes a promising site of intercultural encounters. The global trend of indigenous empowerment today has renewed interest in history, making it a tool of cultural meaning and political legitimacy. This book deals with the topic with a raw forthrightness not often demonstrated in writings about archaeology and indigenous peoples. Rather than being ‘politically correct,’ it attempts to transform rather than simply describe.

COEXISTENCE AND CULTURAL TRANSMISSION IN EAST ASIA
Naoko Matsumoto, Hidetaka Bessho, and Makoto Tomii, editors
February 2011! 304 pages, $89.00 Hardcover
ISBN:  978-1-59874-335-7
http://lcoastpress.com/book.php?id=319

This is the first volume to introduce the data, theory and methodology of contemporary archaeological work in Japan and other parts of East Asia archaeology in English to western audiences. It also introduces a new theoretical concept to archaeologists interested in the relationship between ancient cultures—coexistence. Archaeologists traditionally examine the boundaries between different cultural groups in terms conflict and dominance rather than long-term, harmonious adaptive responses. Chapters in this book cover evidence from burials, faunal and botanical analysis, as well as traditional trade goods. It is of interest to archaeologists conducting research in East Asia or studying intercultural interaction anywhere around the globe.

HANDBOOK OF POSTCOLONIAL ARCHAEOLOGY
Jane Lydon and Uzma Rizvi
October 2010. 600 pages, $129.00 Hardcover
ISBN:  978-1-59874-182-7
http://lcoastpress.com/book.php?id=299

This essential handbook explores the relationship between the postcolonial critique and the field of archaeology, a discipline that developed historically in conjunction with European colonialism and imperialism. In aiding the movement to decolonize the profession, the contributors to this volume—themselves from six continents and many representing indigenous and minority communities and disadvantaged countries—suggest strategies to strip archaeological theory and practice of its colonial heritage and create a discipline sensitive to its inherent inequalities. Summary articles review the emergence of the discipline of archaeology in conjunction with colonialism, critique the colonial legacy evident in continuing archaeological practice around the world, identify current trends, and chart future directions in postcolonial archaeological research. Contributors provide a synthesis of research, thought, and practice on their topic. The articles embrace multiple voices and case study approaches, and have consciously aimed to recognize the utility of comparative work and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the past. This is a benchmark volume for the study of the contemporary politics, practice, and ethics of archaeology.

Now Available in Paperback from Left Coast Press:

HANDBOOK OF FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY AND ARCHAEOLOGY
Soren Blau and Douglas H. Ubelaker, editors
http://lcoastpress.com/book.php?id=97

HANDBOOK OF LANDSCAPE ARCHAEOLOGY
Bruno David and Julian Thomas, editors
http://lcoastpress.com/book.php?id=96

BEING AND BECOMING INDIGENOUS ARCHAEOLOGISTS
George Nicholas, editor
http://lcoastpress.com/book.php?id=277

Join Left Coast Press online at:
http://www.facebook.com/LeftCoastPress
https://twitter.com/LeftCoastPress

5. Opportunities

5 (a) Calls for Papers

THE APRIL, 2012 ISSUE OF ARCHAEOLOGIES (deadline: 10th February 2012)

Editors:
Nick Shepherd and Cristóbal Gnecco
nick.shepherd@uct.ac.za, cgnecco2001@yahoo.com

WAC is a unique organization. While most archaeological associations are exclusively concerned with disciplinary matters, WAC aims to discuss the wider arena in which archaeology operates. Since its very beginnings politics has figured prominently in its agenda, fighting to overcome the positivist separation between knowledge and power. Its commitment to social justice has also been fundamental, especially helping to empower traditionally dispossessed voices in the historical realm and siding with their struggle for a better world. A recent paper by Shepherd and Haber (Public Archaeology 10:96-115, 2011) has brought to attention internal dissensions within WAC and has positioned pressing concerns that may define the future of the organization: engagement with transnational corporations, reproduction of the neocolonial order, regimes of othering, insufficient communication between elected officials / representatives and the members at large. The paper by Shepherd and Haber is another step in important and heated discussions that took place during WAC-6 (Dublin, 2008) around those and other topics and signals the need to engage critically what WAC has achieved and what its constituency would like it to be from now on. The organization's own journal, Archaeologies, is a good venue (albeit not the only one) to host open, uncensored and frank discussions.

We plan to devote the April, 2012 issue of Archaeologies to discuss future directions for WAC. In order to ensure a wide participation and scope of opinions we have limited the extension of papers to 4,000 words, references included. The deadline for submission is February 10th, 2012; papers arriving after that date will not be considered for the April issue. This does not mean, however, that the discussion we propose is to stop there; we can carry it across several issues, even devoting a special section for that effect for as long as debate lasts. Papers can be written in any language, although to ensure a wide communication we encourage people to write them in English. Papers are to be uploaded into the journal's Editorial Manager system: http://www.editorialmanager.com/ares/

JOURNAL OF AFRICAN DIASPORA ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE

Editor, Christopher C. Fennell, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

cfennell@illinois.edu

The Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage provides a focal point for peer-reviewed publications in interdisciplinary studies in archaeology, history, material culture, and heritage dynamics concerning African descendant populations and cultures across the globe. The Journal invites articles on broad topics, including the historical processes of culture, economics, gender, power, and racialization operating within and upon African descendant communities. We seek to engage scholarly, professional, and community perspectives on the social dynamics and historical legacies of African descendant cultures and communities worldwide. The Journal publishes research articles and essays that review developments in these interdisciplinary fields.

Submissions should be sent to Editor Christopher Fennell at cfennell@illinois.edu. An author should contact the editor if unable to submit an electronic version of the manuscript. Information about the journal, subscriptions, and the full submission guidelines can be found at:

http://lcoastpress.com/journal.php?id=15

5 (b) Forthcoming conferences and sessions

SOUNDTRACKS: MUSIC, TOURISM AND TRAVEL

6-9 July 2012, Liverpool, United Kingdom

A Call for Papers has been extended to 6th February 2012. Abstracts may consider the following themes:

· Musical memory - the role of music in narratives of touristic experience
· Fans, pilgrimage and performances - motivations, behaviours and meanings
· The tourist's involvement in preserving and creating musical traditions
· Managing tourists at musical sites
· Musical imaginaries - representing places, peoples and pasts in music
· Dance tourism and embodied practices
· Designing ambience - mobilising music in touristic spaces
· Music festivals as opportunities for tourist encounters
· Inspirations - travelling musicians
· Music as intangible heritage - touring through traditions
· Challenging musical traditions - tourist 'noise'

Please submit a 300 word abstract including title and full contact details as an electronic file to d.carl@leedsmet.ac.uk  

For more details on this conference including a list of accepted abstracts, keynotes, registration etc, please visit the conference's blog. http://soundtracksconference.wordpress.com/

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS AND EVOLUTION IN THE LATE PLEISTOCENE AND HOLOCENE

Session at the 32nd International Geographical Congress (IGC), 26 to 30 August 2012, Cologne, Germany.

Organized by Prof. Fahu Chen1, Dr. Loukas Barton2, Dr. Bernhard Weninger3 and Prof. Andrei Velichko4

1 chenfh@lzu.edu.cn, 2 loukasbarton@gmail.com, 3 b.weninger@uni-koeln.de and 4 lenanov@mail.ru

A Call for Papers has been extended to 8 January, 2012.

Environmental change has long been implicated as a prime mover in human biological and cultural evolution. However, the long-term effects of human-environment interactions are poorly understood. This session is designed to address this shortcoming by bringing together scholars of diverse backgrounds for an open discussion of the appropriate methods, scales, units, and data for evaluating the complex interactions and feedbacks between environmental change and human evolution. The context for this discussion is the late Pleistocene and early-middle Holocene, roughly 100,000 years marked both by extreme environmental variability and unprecedented change in human biogeography, demography, and social complexity. During this time Eurasia witnessed the influx of anatomically modern humans and the disappearance of archaic hominid forms; the Americas received hominids for the very first time; hunter-gatherers domesticated plants and animals and intensified their agricultural efforts in numerous independent locations around the world; and human society diversified, specialized, and stratified in novel ways and degrees. All of these developments took shape against a background of local and global variability in atmospheric composition and circulation, ecological succession, and biological evolution unfolding on a variety of different scales. The extents to which these changes are both cause and consequence of human activity are the primary subjects of this session. The products of this discussion will be of interest to scientists and laymen alike.

Information about registration and submission may be found on the IGC2012 web site (http://www.igc2012.org). Early bird registration available before 10th April 2012.

5 (c) Jobs

TOM AUSTEN BROWN CHAIR OF AUSTRALIAN ARCHAEOLOGY
School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Sydney
Reference No. 1487/0811

The University of Sydney wishes to appoint a distinguished scholar to a Chair in the field of Australian archaeology with a focus on prehistory and heritage. The University is proud to establish the first named Chair in Australian Archaeology, funded by the Tom Austen Brown Bequest, which will support the development of a major program in teaching, research and community engagement.

The successful applicant will be appointed to the Tom Austen Brown Chair of Australian Archaeology, located in the Department of Archaeology in the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry. The school has an outstanding record and reputation in both research and teaching. Its staff includes Laureate, Federation and several Professorial Fellows as well as other distinguished academics involved in teaching and research.

The school is home to Australia’s oldest Department of Archaeology. The department’s research and teaching interests are chronologically and geographically wide-ranging, with staff currently engaged with both prehistoric and historical archaeology in Australia, Oceania, East and South East Asia, China, Central Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Teaching and research activities are supported and enhanced by a well-equipped archaeological laboratory, and also by close association with the Archaeological Computing Laboratory and the Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis. The University’s Nicholson Museum, housing Australia’s oldest and largest archaeological collection, further enriches the department’s teaching and research. The department is also a founding member of the Centre for Classical and Near Eastern Studies of Australia.

To succeed, you must meet the following criteria:

• Outstanding scholarship in the field of Australian archaeology with a focus on prehistory and heritage and a proven track record in attracting competitive grants.
• Strong track record of teaching performance with commitment to teaching. Capacity to teach Australian archaeology and archaeological skills and methods, as well as experience in innovative curriculum design.
• Good management skills and a willingness and ability to perform high level administrative tasks, including chairing department.
• Capacity to provide leadership in research and research training and to foster research.
• Demonstrated commitment to collaboration with Indigenous communities in outreach projects.
• Capacity to further the University’s strategic objectives in relation to Indigenous research and education outcomes.
• Capacity to develop a broad program in Australian archaeology at both undergraduate and graduate level.

All applications must be submitted via the University of Sydney careers website.  Visit sydney.edu.au/positions and search by the reference number 1487/0811 for more information and to apply.

CLOSING DATE: 29 January 2012

The University is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to equity, diversity and social inclusion. Applications from equity target groups and women are encouraged.

6. News from other archaeological associations         
    (used with permission)

6 (a)  SALON

Effigy looted in the Blitz returns to St Olave’s

The Jacobean effigy of Dr Peter Turner, an eminent botanist and physician at London’s St Bartholomew’s Hospital, has been returned to St Olave’s Church, near the Tower of London. The effigy, dating from 1614, disappeared after bombing severely damaged the church on the night of 17 April 1941. In 2009, churchwardens at the restored church learned from the Museum of London that the statue was about to be sold by Dreweatts, the auctioneer, for an estimated £70,000.

Detective work by the Art Loss Register’s lawyer, Christopher Marinello, tracked the ownership back to an antique dealer, Gray Elcombe, already in prison for serious drug-related crimes. The effigy will undergo conservation work before being reinstalled in the church.

Salon 259: 1 August 2011

Yale announces new conservation institute

Yale University has announced that it is to set up a new Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, thanks to a US$25m gift from Lisbet Rausing, heiress to the Tetra Pak food processing and packaging company, and her husband Peter Baldwin. The aim is to bring together the personnel and resources of the University Library, the Peabody Museum of Natural History, the Yale University Art Gallery, the Yale Center for British Art and the Office of Digital Assets along with the expertise of the university’s academic departments to create an institute that will ‘advance conservation science and its practice around the world’.

Building on existing research programmes, the institute will explore the use of nanotechnology to slow the degradation of works of art, and continue to digitise artefacts and works of art from Yale’s collections and make the images available free online under the universities ‘open access’ policy. Peter Baldwin said that Yale ‘shares our deep conviction that new technology will not only help us protect our most valuable cultural assets, but also expand access to those assets for people around the world’.

Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin have given some US$192m in grants in the last ten years through their Arcadia fund, whose mission is ‘to protect endangered culture and nature … near-extinct languages, rare historical archives and museum quality artefacts … ecosystems and environments threatened with extinction’

Salon 258: 11 July 2011

New £55m arts and heritage philanthropy fund

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced a new £55 million joint funding initiative to help arts and heritage organisations build up endowment funds ‘to secure their long-term financial resilience’. Art galleries, museums, opera houses and theatres in England will be invited to bid for grants of between £500,000 and £5 million from the fund to add to money they raise from private philanthropic sources. Different leverage ratios will be required for grants of different sizes; the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said that, on average, every £2 raised from private sources would be matched by £1 of public funding. Chaired by Michael Portillo, the funding pot has been created with contributions of £10 million from the Arts Council, £15 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £30 million from the DCMS.
In addition, the Heritage Lottery Fund has set aside £5 million to help smaller cultural and heritage organisations ‘build their financial resilience and improve their fundraising abilities’ and the Arts Council has invested £40 million in its Catalyst Arts scheme, which offers a mix of match-funding awards and grants to help arts organisations develop their fundraising capacity.
Codex Calixtinus stolen from Santiago de Compostela
Talking of pilgrimage destinations, it is sad to report that the twelfth-century Codex Calixtinus has been stolen from the armoured vault of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. Authorship of the Codex Calixtinus was once attributed to Pope Calixtus II (died 1124), hence its name, though it is now believed to be the work of several authors and compilers, including Aymeric Picaud, one-time Secretary to Pope Calixtus, who may have contributed the Liber Peregrinationis, a guide for pilgrims following the Way of St James, describing the towns they will encounter en route, the people and their customs.
The illuminated work also contains some of the earliest recorded examples of Basque vocabulary, liturgical texts and homilies for the liturgy of Saint James, the story of how Saint James’s body was smuggled from Palestine to Compostela and a history of Charlemagne and Roland. It is also of great value to historians of music composition in the twelfth century, containing numerous examples of plainsong chant associated with the liturgy of St James, and three examples of polyphonic work for three voices.
Picture: Folio 214 of the Codex Calixtinus has music for the liturgy of St James, Con gaudeant catholici, letentur cives celici (‘Let the whole church rejoice, let the heavenly host be glad’). You can hear two versions of this earliest known example of a three-voice chant on ChantBlog.

Salon 257: 19 June 2011

Is Leptis Magna safe?

Worrying reports have appeared in the US and UK media suggesting that the World Heritage Site of Leptis Magna might be bombed as part of the Nato response to Colonel Gaddafi’s war on Libyan rebels. Susan Kane, a professor of archaeology at Oberlin College in Ohio, who has done extensive work in Libya, was quoted as saying that there are credible reports that Gaddafi and his supporters are using museums and ruins as munitions stores in the belief that they are safe from Nato bombing. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, has called for all parties in the conflict to protect heritage sites, but both The Times and the Washington Post reported Nato officials as saying that they ‘could not rule out bombing in the area if Gaddafi’s troops are found to be using it as a military staging ground’.
Commenting on these reports, our Fellow Martin Brown, who works for the Ministry of Defence in the UK, says that the Fellows who are employed within the MoD (Ian Barnes who heads the Environmental Advisory Service within the Defence Infrastructure Organisation at the MoD, and Martin himself who, along with Richard Osgood and Philip Abramson, work as Archaeological Advisers) would ensure that there will be no lack of awareness within the MoD of the importance of Libya’s archaeology and heritage. ‘While our roles are primarily concerned with protecting the archaeology on our estates, we have recently been increasingly involved in operational support’, he says.

Salon 256: 6 June 2011

European Museum of the Year

The European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA), the most prestigious prize of its kind in Europe, has been awarded to the Gallo-Romeins Museum, in Tongeren, Limburg, Belgium. Our Fellow Michael Ryan, who is on the EMYA jury panel, says that, ‘despite its inherited name, the museum covers the archaeology of the region from early prehistory to early medieval times and places it in its wider context. As archaeological exhibitions go, it is exemplary. The displays engage superbly with visitors of all ages and cleverly deal with important issues of interpretation in an imaginative and scrupulously scientific manner.

‘Before creating their new exhibitions, the museum staff spent time discovering how people of different ages learn. The result is a layered presentation of objects, reconstructions, conventional information panels and multilingual interactives for adults and children, which is technically very good and also very enjoyable. It is very well worth visiting if you are ever in the neighbourhood. The museum has an important collection and has a number of valuable research collaborations and a long series of archaeological publications.’

The EMYA jury said that the Gallo-Roman Museum ‘does not shy away from the task of dealing with uncertainty, and the presentations guide the audience through the issues but do not assert firm conclusions. The exhibitions are authoritative but not authoritarian. They provoke thought and provide the visitor with the information needed to take a view. The museum is socially engaged not just with issues of heritage but also with its role in the local economy and in its commitment to education, for which it has provided excellent facilities and for which it works with a large number of teachers who are employed by the museum. The integration with the town of Tongeren is strong — the museum is a meeting place available to all citizens’ groups’.

Michael adds that the administration of the EMYA and of its parent, the European Museum Forum (EMF), is based in the National Museums, Liverpool, courtesy of David Fleming, Director of National Museums Liverpool, and its Board and Jury are drawn from a number of European countries. Our Fellow Neil Cossons is a recent past president of the European Museum Forum and a leading reformer of the organisation. The current Chair of the EMF is Mikhail Gnedovsky, of Russia, and the Chair of the Jury is Frans Ellenbroek, of Tilburg, in The Netherlands.

Next Issue: April 2012

Marcus Brittain (mb654@cam.ac.uk) and Marisol Rodriguez Miranda (marirodz@gmail.com)