Oriental Societies 2.0 - Governance of Scholarship, Imperial Agendas, Societal Engagement and Entanglement
Plakat
Bildquelle: Plakatgestaltung: (c) Leonie König & Johannes Felmy 2025
Archaeology is a societal matter, in more than one respect: Apart from conducting research into the history of ancient societies, it always reflects the self-perception or self-fashioning of the people engaged in that research. Furthermore, archaeology is set in multiple societal frameworks, beginning with the social background and upbringing of the archaeologist, the social order and private as well as state institutions supporting them, but also determining their research agendas and setting a regime for the governance of scholarship. However, the societies in the (foreign) regions excavation is taking place, should not be neglected either, for local agency impacted these endeavours as much as their mission and predefined objectives.
In 2022, the Centre for Advanced Studies 2615 hosted an international online workshop on “Oriental Societies and Societal Self-Assertion. Associations, Funds and Societies for the Archaeological Exploration of the ‘Ancient Near East’”. It brought together historians and archaeologists, along with representatives of other disciplines from different European countries, to engage in interdisciplinary discourse. In 2024, the Proceedings of that workshop have been published within the Investigatio Orientis Series.
The organizers already decided when drafting the foreword for the publication that another conference should follow. They asked a former contributor, Hana Navratilova, to join the organisational team, in order to launch another call for papers, for even more profound research into the overall theme of societal engagement in Near Eastern Archaeology and its entanglement with national and international politics. In addition to that, however, the extended format shall also address
private-public partnerships, alternative modes of state- or individually funded archaeological endeavours.
Zeit & Ort
27.11.2025 - 29.11.2025
Engler-Villa; Altensteinstr. 2; 14195 Berlin
Weitere Informationen
Registration for the conference:
Due to restricted capacity of the conference venue, guests are
required to register. - Depending on availablity, the organisers
may either grant the possibilty to attend in person or online-
access via zoom. - We kindly ask for your understanding
that colleagues, who have not registered until the 24th of
November will not be admitted.
Please register at: sekretariat-kofo@geschkult.fu-berlin.de
Support & Funding by:
DFG-KFG 2615 "Rethinking – Governance in the Ancient Near East" and Max von Oppenheim-Stiftung.
Organisers:
Dr. Thomas Gertzen, Freie Universität Berlin.
Dr. Olaf Matthes, Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte.
Dr. Hana Navratilova, Harris Manchester College.
