Session #237: Archaeological practices and knowledge work in the digital environment at EAA 2017 23rd Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (August 30th – September 2nd, 2017), Maastricht, the Netherlands
The last ten years saw significant growth in the use of digital methods and tools in archaeological work. However, a systematic, comprehensive account of how digital information, tools and infrastructures are actually used by archaeologists and other users and producers of archaeological information is missing. Both archaeologists, and researchers in other fields from museum studies to ethnology, information studies and science and technology studies, have conducted research on the topic, but so far the efforts have tended to be fragmented, at times anecdotal, and failing to address the complexity and range of contemporary archaeological practices in the digital environment. This is striking, as better understanding of archaeological practices and knowledge work has been identified already for a decade ago as a major precondition in order to realise the potential of infrastructural and tools-related development in archaeology.
The session brings together researchers and research projects studying archaeological practices, knowledge production and use, social impact and industrial potential of archaeological knowledge. It aims to present and highlight the ongoing work on the topic around Europe, spanning diverse contexts from archaeological fieldwork and collections-based research and stewardship of archaeological data to scholarship, and archaeological practices involving local knowledge and global communities. Beyond the current work in this network, this session invites contributions from all researchers conducting theoretical and empirical research on archaeological work, knowledge production and use in archaeology and other relevant disciplines.
The session is organised by COST Action “Archaeological practices and knowledge work in the digital environment” (http://www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/ca/CA15201).
Organisers: Isto Huvila (Uppsala University, Sweden), Costis Dallas (University of Toronto, Canada), Rimvydas Laužikas (University of Vilnius, Lithuania)
More information about the session at COST-ARKWORK website.