Global Archaeology
Volume 33.1, April 2018
Theme editors: Lindsey J. Fine, Jess E. Thompson
Throughout its history, archaeology has been concerned with understanding both local and large-scale processes. Far too often, however, the questions and methods used to examine these processes have tended to dichotomise each end of this scale. Yet as sociologists have recently identified, communities in the present as well as the past contain a mixture of both local and global elements – a concept which has been termed glocalisation. Originally used to describe the adaptation of products to suit local communities and cultures, this theory may be understood in broader terms as the interconnection between global and local contexts, encompassing issues such as economy, territoriality, identity and power. Although current work recognises glocalising practices mainly within the last few centuries, the adoption, or resistance to, widespread developments in technology, subsistence, and ritual practices are identifiable from prehistory onwards.
Volume 33.1 of the Archaeological Review from Cambridge provides a forum to facilitate interdisciplinary discussion surrounding the application of glocalisation to archaeological practice. Papers integrating Archaeology with other subjects such as History, Anthropology or Sociology are thus encouraged. This volume aims to add to the growing body of work within archaeological research dedicated to addressing the dialectical relationship between small-scale and broader processes. Contributions might explore, although are not limited to, the following questions:
- What challenges and/or opportunities does the application of glocalisation offer for archaeological research? Alongside theoretical developments such as agency, network theory, and assemblage theory, does it allow us to address the interaction of processes on multiple scales in the past?
- How might the concept of glocalisation change our definition of ‘local’ or ‘global’?
- Moving beyond hybridity, how are local, regional and global structures, practices and ideologies related to one another, and what are the social, cultural, political and economic effects of these processes?
- Does glocalisation help to critically address archaeological typologies, chronologies or ‘revolutions’?
- What impact does glocalisation have on modern archaeological practice and heritage management? How do tensions between local and global perspectives affect the identification, excavation, and conservation of sites of cultural significance?
Papers of no more than 4000 words should be submitted to Lindsey J. Fine (ljf51@cam.ac.uk) and Jess E. Thompson (jet71@cam.ac.uk) any time before 1st August 2017, for publication in April 2018. Potential contributors are encouraged to register interest early by either submitting an abstract of up to 250 words or contacting the editors to further discuss their ideas.
More information about the Archaeological Review from Cambridge, including back issues and submission guidelines, may be found online at http://www.societies.cam.ac.uk/arc/.
