Call for Papers: Prehistory of politics – politics of prehistory (Kiel Workshop, 13-18.03.2023) (original) (raw)
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The theoretical and methodological toolkits developed under political ecology have become increasingly relevant in current discussions of environmental impacts, sustainability, and inequality. We developed this volume to identify the unique perspectives that archaeologists offer to the field of political ecology. The archaeology of political ecology is founded on a long and diverse history focused on issues relating to environments, the human–nature relationship, ontology, property, power, and inequality. We outline this history to demonstrate that political ecology and archaeology inform one another through shared interests and research foci. More importantly, we highlight how the two fields can and do benefit through their partnership. Ultimately this volume serves as an invitation for interdisciplinary research that aims to better elucidate the complexities and nuances of human–environmental interaction. [Archaeology, Political Ecology, Political Economy, Landscapes] Thus at every step we are reminded that we by no means rule over nature like a conqueror over a foreign people. Friedrich Engels (1975 [1876], 14)
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Encouraged by Antonio Gilman, archaeology has witnessed a partial return to materialist theories based on Modes of Production. Modes should never be thought of as a new typology; rather they are models that define political processes ground- ed in material conditions that result in contrasting social formations. These Modes can then be used to compare cases across prehistory and history