CALL. 30.11.2018: [SESSION 7] Mediterranean Connections – how the Sea links people and transforms id
Social space and natural environment amplify the concept of landscape resulting from transformation processes of human-environmental interaction patterns within the history of humankind. Different layers of human activities are visible in societal fingerprints on the natural and cultural environment. Investigating these reciprocal dynamics includes conditions of different environmental, demographic, economic, social, and ideological settings in global tendencies, regional developments, and local episodes.
A transdisciplinary effort of scientists and scholars is necessary to achieve a better understanding of societies beyond landscapes, which involves substantial changes in human-environmental relationships and the underlying interaction patterns of the past 15,000 years.
FECHA LÍMITE/DEADLINE/SCADENZA: 30/11/2018
FECHA CONGRESO/CONGRESS DATE/DATA CONGRESSO: 11-12-13-14-15-16/03/2019
LUGAR/LOCATION/LUOGO: Kiel University (Kiel, Germany)
ORGANIZADOR/ORGANIZER/ORGANIZZATORE: A. Rutter, E. Loitzou, O. Nakoinz, F. Fulminante, L. Schmidt, D. Möhlmann, L. Käppel, H. Klinkott
CALL:
Long-term research interest in the Mediterranean has produced a substantial body of data and concepts that make it a fascinating testing ground for new approaches on identity, alterity, and connectivity. For the inhabitants of the Mediterranean, the sea evidently influenced their lives and their thinking in a significant way. (Pre-)history, philology, and archaeology alike can trace the emergence of ancient perceptions of distance and connections as well as the movement of material, people, and ideas. Researchers of these professions have long been irritated by a tendency to define political or cultural entities spatially. The identification of collective identities as networked spheres of interest, however, allows us to progress towards an understanding of processes within the Mediterranean as a dynamic area of common cultures and conflicts. Shared mental maps and networks thus help to understand the collapse of powers, systems, and identities, the emergence of new ones, and the role of possibly persisting parts of a network in such processes.
With contributors from all disciplines dealing with connections, networks, and mental maps, whether they be archaeology, (pre-)history, philology, geography, and sociology, and also the natural sciences, we would like to discuss the following:
how the contact area of the Mediterranean influences the (self-)representation of peoples and individuals as well as the formation of identity and alterity
what role Mediterranean connections play in cultural, political, and ideological developments
how ancient writers and artists form and use Mediterranean connections
analyses of the emergence and transformations of connections within the Ancient Mediterranean
the conditions under which the physical environment determines the presence or absence of connections
how the concept of network layers contributes to an understanding of past events around the Mediterranean seascape
new theories and interpretations concerning the role of power, conflicts, and different communities that can be connected to the network approach
network modelling between simulations and empirical observations
We particularly invite contributions from a wide range of regions to include as many perspectives as possible from around the Mediterranean World.
The network aspects of this session links with the theoretical approaches of Complexity (Schlicht et al., Session 6), while connectivity and emergence of identity relate to Social Space (Grimm et al., Session 1) and Social Resilience (Yang et al., Session 11). They also form a backdrop to considerations of Territoriality (Schaefer-Di Maida et al., Session 8). The concept of mental maps is also reflected in Urban Knowledge (Chiarenza et al., Session 9).