EAZ – Ethnographisch-Archaeologische Zeitschrift: Announcements

Call for Papers: Special issue of the EAZ "An Ontological Turn for Archaeology? Novel perspectives on material, practical, political, and reflective engagements"

2023-08-04T12:14:22+02:00

Gianpiero Di Maida, Martin Porr

Over the last quarter of a century or so, prominent sections of anthropology have experienced a radical change in their theoretical approaches and orientations. The impact of this shift proved to be so substantial, that it continues to shake the very foundations of the discipline. This change became known as the ontological turn and it is concerned with the notion of culture itself, which lies at the heart of all anthropological studies and inquiries.

The ontological turn proposes that it is not cultural differences that are most significant between people and societies. It rejects the idea that knowledges relate to the same world and worldviews are just different perspectives on the same thing – it doesn’t matter how greatly. Rather, the idea behind the turn is that, depending on which cosmological system actors are born into, they construct the world in different ways. This shift in perspective has significant consequences: If it is the relationships between actors and the world that are variable and constituted differently by groups of people and individuals, stories that are told, myths that are narrated, relations that are built, objects that are created do not reflect cultural differences. They are ontologically different. For archaeology, as the discipline that is primarily concerned with the study of past human communities and their material expressions, such a shift poses a vast number of challenges as well as opportunities.

The past decades have shown a growing interest by archaeologists toward the debates within anthropological studies, engaging with several aspects such as relations of power, art expressions, human–animal–“other-than-human” dynamics, the impact of Indigenous knowledges and decolonial studies. Archaeology has demonstrated that it is not only a spectator in these ongoing debates but is also perfectly capable of developing its own theoretical and methodological contributions. More than that, we believe that investigations of past human groups and their material cultures could greatly profit from a more extensive dialogue with the themes raised within the ontological turn. Furthermore, with its access to a vast record of expressions of human diversity across space and time, archaeology could contribute new and crucial elements to several open themes within the ontological debates. This applies, for example, to the flourishing of discussions that developed around Philippe Descola’s influential book Beyond Nature and Culture, particularly after the publication of its English translation in 2013.

With this call for papers, we are proposing an engagement with the ontological turn from a variety of archaeological perspectives.

Our idea is to collect case studies from a range of archaeological contexts that, through the analysis of material culture, would shed a light on past ontological orientations, by explicitly, critically, and thoroughly working through the implications of the ontological turn as it was briefly outlined in this call. Additionally, we also aim at broadening this call beyond the study of past material expressions, specifically asking for contributions that deal with the conceptualisation of ‘ontology in practice’, namely studies that recognise the relevance of ontological aspects for contemporary archaeological practice in a wider sense of the term. Those studies would include dimensions of archaeological fieldwork, museum and archival work, collaborations with Indigenous communities, and aspects of cultural heritage management. In this way, we want to draw attention to the relevance of ontological questions and an anthropologically/theoretically informed archaeology in the everyday practice of our disciplines.

The collection we envisage should reflect the above-mentioned aims in content, form, and spirit. Furthermore, we believe that the discussion will profit from fresh approaches and experimentations, thus allowing a higher degree of freedom in the presentation and the structure of the individual contributions. All submitted manuscripts will also be required to be made available as pre-prints to enhance opportunities for knowledge sharing and further engagements. For this scope, we suggest to use Zenodo, although authors will be free to rely on a comparable service of their choice: In any case, a link to the pre-print will be a requirement for a manuscript to be considered for publication.

The papers will be published as a special issue of the open-access journal EAZ – Ethnographisch-Archaeologische Zeitschrift and will undergo a peer-review and revision process before publication.

The deadline for the submission of the manuscripts is March, 1st 2024: Please, send a link to the pre-print repository hosting your manuscript to the email addresses mentioned in this PDF. The expected publication deadline is end 2024 / early 2025.

The tower of Babel. M.C. Escher 1928. Figure: Wikimedia Commons.

Press release: A forum for human diversity

2023-04-03T15:02:05+02:00

Jan Steffen, Henny Piezonka, Bill Angelbeck, Jerimy Cunningham, Martin Furholt, Nils Müller-Scheeßel, Jens Schneeweiß, Maria Wunderlich

The original press release, published on 30/03/2023 on the website of the University of Kiel, can be found here.

EAZ serves as a forum for scholarship bridging disciplinary boundaries on the diversity of human life
Open Access and thematic openness challenge traditional power structures in research
EAZ allows critical view on current global challenges

Human societies are extremely complex. Anyone who wants to understand the cultural-historical development of our species must combine methods and results from numerous disciplines such as archaeology, social and cultural anthropology, palaeoecology, or philosophy. At the same time, many scholars are specializing in increasingly narrow research areas and niches. "Therefore, we need to demonstrate all the more that we can gain valuable new insights by bridging disciplines and approaches," says Dr. Henny Piezonka, professor of anthropological archaeology at Kiel University and member of the Cluster of Excellence ROOTS.

She is part of an international team that is now reviving the "Ethnographisch-Archaeologische Zeitschrift" (EAZ), one of the oldest academic forums for the interdisciplinary study of humans and their lifeworlds from antiquity to the present. Now, after a five-year break and a change of the editorial team, a new issue of the EAZ is being published—for the first time with Kiel as the official place of publication. The new, 57th volume is dedicated to one of the fathers of American anthropology, Franz Boas, who received his doctorate in Kiel 142 years ago.

The goal of the EAZ is not only to bridge disciplinary boundaries. It is also about challenging habits and hierarchies of power in academia, combating inequalities and thus enabling new ways of looking at, and understanding, the human condition. "In recent decades, there have been increasingly critical approaches to anthropology and archaeology rooted in postcolonial, indigenous, feminist, and queer concerns. They challenge outdated research that has been very male, Western, and dominated by the English language," explains Prof. Dr. Martin Furholt of the Institute of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology at Kiel University and member of the editorial board of the new EAZ.

"The combination of anthropological and archaeological research, including a revival of transdisciplinary specialties such as ethnoarchaeology, can amplify alternative and previously disadvantaged voices in a way that contributes to the decolonization of the disciplines," adds his colleague Henny Piezonka.

In this way, the EAZ aims to provide a critical and self-reflexive view on current global challenges such as social inequality, climate change, and indigenous sovereignty. In doing so, the new editorial team builds on the journal's long history as a cross-disciplinary medium.

Founded in East Berlin in 1953, the EAZ follows research traditions that emerged in Germany in the mid-19th century, integrating various approaches to archaeology and anthropology. This tradition also influenced Franz Boas, who is considered one of the pioneers of cultural anthropology in the United States.

In Europe, however, the fields were institutionally separated in the 20th century. The EAZ stood largely alone with its transdisciplinary orientation until the early 21st century. Between 2009 and 2018, it was published in Leipzig and increasingly incorporated theoretical and philosophical contributions as well as analyses of the history of archaeological thought.

With its relaunch at Kiel University, the EAZ is now dedicated to research at the intersections of archaeology, sociocultural anthropology, and philosophy, particularly the relationships between society, culture, and the environment.

EAZ articles initially appear online at www.eaz-journal.org. Two issues per year may be printed on demand. As with other scientific journals, scientific quality is ensured by external, international reviewers who advise the editors whether a submitted article should be accepted or revised. There is no cost to the researchers. Accepted articles are published on the website without a paywall under an internationally renowned, free license. "This open access approach also ensures a democratization of research. The decisive factor is not how well funded the institution is where the scientists work. Scientific quality alone counts," emphasizes Prof. Henny Piezonka.

The editorial systems run on servers hosted by the IT Centre of Kiel University. In addition to Martin Furholt and Henny Piezonka, the new editorial team includes Prof. Dr. Bill Angelbeck (Douglas College, Canada), Prof. Dr. Jerimy Cunningham (University of Lethbridge, Canada), Dr. Jens Schneeweiß (Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology Schleswig/Cluster ROOTS) and Dr. Maria Wunderlich (Institute for Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology at CAU /Cluster ROOTS). Dr. Nils Müller-Scheeßel (Institute for Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology at CAU /Cluster ROOTS) supports the team in the editorial process. The journal also has an international network of recognised experts for a board of Associate Editor, advising on the review of submitted articles.

The editorial team of the new EAZ met on the occasion of the Kiel Conference 2023 in mid-March at the Kiel University: Henny Piezonka (Kiel University), Jens Schneeweiß (ZBSA), Martin Furholt (Kiel University), Bill Angelbeck (Douglas College, Canada), Maria Wunderlich (Kiel University), Anastasia Khramtsova (Cluster ROOTS). Not present was Jerimy Cunningham (University of Lethbridge, Canada, pictured in the frame), who is also part of the new editorial team. Photo: J. Steffen, T. Pape.

Official relaunch of the EAZ at Kiel University and online publication of the 57th issue

2023-03-30T10:52:37+02:00

We are delighted to announce that the EAZ journal is relaunching today, 30 March, with a brand-new website and the publication of three out of nine articles from a new issue containing the proceedings of the Boas Talks! The issue commemorates Franz Boas' graduation from the University of Kiel 142 years ago in 1881.

The articles published today focus on anthropological education in Germany, an ethno-archaeological case study from India, and the relevance of Franz Boas's work to current challenges for anthropological research and public engagement. We are confident that these articles will stimulate new insights and conversations in the field.

We invite you to visit our new website and explore the new issue of the EAZ journal. We also encourage you to follow our Twitter account @EazJournal for the latest news and updates on the journal.

We thank you for your support and look forward to your continued engagement with the EAZ journal.

Best regards,

The EAZ journal team

EAZ Cover Issue 30/03/2023, 57. Volume