FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012 — SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2012
State of the Field: Turkey is a two-day conference dedicated to discussing current developments in archaeological fieldwork and research in Turkey.
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Archaeology has, of course, a long history in what is today modern Turkey. The aim of this symposium is to explore its practice in various ways, examining its place in the North American academy as well as current and future structures for archaeological research. The goal of the symposium is to clarify where archaeology is, where it has been, and where it is going (or where we hope it will go). The event will begin on Friday evening, with a brief introduction of the various thoughts and positions of the faculty and graduate students of the Joukowsky Institute, several of whom work on a range of periods and problems in Turkey; this will be followed by an informal reception. The Saturday symposium will be comprised of two sessions, and concluded by a keynote providing an overview of the state of the field. The first session will focus on the practice of archaeology in Turkey, its opportunities and limits, up to the present; the second will focus on the potential future of archaeological practice in Turkey, and the breakthroughs and difficulties that we are likely to encounter along the way. Both sessions will feature five speakers who will briefly present their view on these issues based on their own experiences. Each session will then be followed by an hour-long roundtable discussion, giving the speakers and participants an opportunity to engage with the issues and questions raised during the session. A more detailed view of the proceedings can be found on the Schedule page.
We have invited an exciting line-up of speakers who have worked on a range of projects – in terms of method, location, chronology, and specialization – from across Turkey. Almost all of them are project directors, mostly excavation but some survey as well. They have been asked to address issues related to their specific experiences, such as: directing long-term major projects, how to finish up, and publishing; salvage projects, especially with regard to dam construction; community archaeology; and the opportunities and difficulties involved in starting up new projects in the current political and financial climate. You can read more about the participants, their research interests, and the directions in which they might take their comments, on the Participants page.
The conference is free and open to the public. We hope that you will join us for this exciting event!
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology, Rhode Island Hall, Room 108
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If you have questions or comments regarding the conference, please contact Sarah Craft at sarah_craft@brown.edu.