A Call for Abstracts has been issued for the session “Cultures of Mobility and Borders in the Ancient Near East” of the ASOR Annual Meeting (In-Person and Virtual Components). The session chairs are Eric Trinka ([email protected]), James Madison University, and Shane M. Thompson ([email protected]), Brown University.
Abstracts should be submitted by March 15.
ASOR’s 2021 Annual Meeting will have both in-person and virtual components. The in-person component will take place November 17-20 at the Hilton Chicago in downtown Chicago. The virtual component will take place online December 9-12.
In-Person Abstract Submission:
https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/login?redirect=/stages/2488/submitter
Virtual Abstract Submission:
https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/login?redirect=/stages/2530/submitter
Description
Studies of movement, mobility, and migration in the ancient
world are becoming more numerous. Despite recent growth in some important research areas, a key methodological component remains absent from archaeological and textual studies: Few, if any, present works on mobility or movement in the ancient world integrate findings from modern mobility studies. Failure to do so has left noteworthy lacunae in researchers’ epistemologies of movement and place that require redress. The key contribution of this new session is to provide a more solid theoretical grounding for discussing the processes of human movement and contact. We assert that mobility is to movement as place is to location; social
construction lies at the core of their distinction from, and relationship
to, one another. Mobility does not simply occur in space. It is a
constituent element of spatial production. To this end, we seek scholarly
contributions that enable us to better understand ancient perceptions of
emplacedness, movement, and general cultures of mobility in the Late
Bronze and Early Iron Age Near East. We propose that the first three-year
series will center the topics borders, bodies and cultures of mobility.
Yearly Themes
2021: Bringing Mobilities Studies to Bear in the ANE – Theoretical basis
2022: Defining and Controlling Mobile Bodies
2023: Drawing Boundaries / Disrupting Borders
For questions contact:
Shane M. Thompson ([email protected]);
Eric M. Trinka ([email protected])