The economy is at the forefront of many minds due to the current global situation. Governments, organisations and individuals world-wide have been forced to make numerous changes in order to deal with the current economic downturn and a number of lives have been drastically affected. With the financial world in turmoil, constant stories of crisis in the media, and the impact on individuals, it seems fitting that archaeological enquiries into economic crises should be made at this time.
Economy and change are popular themes in archaeology which can be explored through numerous avenues of study. Investigation into multiple aspects of economic crisis allows the interaction between economy, environment, and importantly, society, to be studied. In investigating the occurrence of economic crises in the past, archaeologists can better understand the mechanisms of these changes and their social implications. The notion of economic crisis, however, is not a simple one; it is complex and multifaceted, raising a number of questions through archaeological enquiry. ARC invites contributions on the theme of Economic Crisis.
Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
* What constitutes an economic crisis? How do we identify and define the occurrence of economic crisis in the archaeological record using artefactual, environmental and societal markers? How do we assess its impact?
* How do human groups with differing social structures respond to economic crisis? Does the definition of a crisis change with the degree of social complexity?
* How is the concept of economic crisis approached using zooarchaeological, archaeobotanical, and other archaeological science techniques?
* What is the relationship between both contract and academic archaeology and the economy? How has the economic downturn affected, and how will it continue to affect, employment and dynamics within these sectors?
Please send abstracts of not more than 500 words to Suzanne Pilaar Birch (sp518@cam.ac.uk) or Rosalind Wallduck (rjw89@cam.ac.uk) by 31st January 2010. The full article should not exceed 4000 words. Deadline for first drafts will be in early May 2010, for publication in April 2011. Style guidelines and notes for contributors can be found at http://www.societies.cam.ac.uk/arc/contribute.html.
Archaeological Review from Cambridge is a journal of archaeology managed and published on a voluntary basis by postgraduate research students at the University of Cambridge. Issues are released twice a year. ARC is a non-profit making organisation. Although primarily rooted in archaeological theory and practice, ARC increasingly accommodates a wide range of perspectives with the aim of establishing a strong, inter-disciplinary journal which will be of interest to those engaged in a range of fields.