Call for Papers for the Archaeological Review from Cambridge

In past and present cultures, individuals and societies have collected, altered and discarded records of  different media, thereby shaping archives. Archives are a fundamental archaeological resource as  collections of finds and their associated documentation (such as diaries, reports, drawings,  photographs and digital data) not only enable reinterpretation of original assessments but also allow  for new research to be carried out. Despite this potential, the study of archives is often overlooked by  archaeologists because contemporary understandings of archives tend to be limited in terms of their  purposes and what they are supposed to encompass. 

Other disciplines including heritage studies and history have recently expanded their focus from  traditional concerns such as management procedures. Researchers have started asking more  fundamental, theoretical questions about the purpose, use, social context and academic potential of  archives, bringing facets such as audience, compilation and access to the forefront of enquiry.  Archaeological studies are increasingly adopting these focuses as well as cultivating new approaches  and methods for archaeological purposes. The challenge to re-centre archives into the mainstream of  archaeological enquiry has led to a reassessment of their uses and the roles they can play in expanding  archaeological knowledge. 

This ARC issue aims at exploring new approaches and perceptions towards archives in an  archaeological context. How has archaeology as a discipline, in both theory and practice, been  affected by the reassessment of archives? How can data recovered from archives offer new  perspectives on material and quantitative data gathered from fieldwork? In what ways does an  increase in archival access for non-experts and new audiences lead to different perspectives on  archaeological data? How can socio-political assessments encourage a reflexive approach prompting  archaeologists to turn the lens upon their own collecting and archival practices, offering a critical  consideration of knowledge production? What can be learnt about the nature and history of  archaeology from studying archives as historiographical tools? 

We encourage contributions from all disciplines in order to develop an inter- and multi- disciplinary approach towards the archive issue. Possible topics may include but are not restricted to: 

• The theoretical underpinnings of the utility and purpose of archives and their importance to  archaeology 

• Archives as a tool of academic enquiry; research, reassessment and reinterpretation of  archival records  

• Innovative archival management strategies and developments in governmental and non- governmental guidelines  

• Access and audiences, including Web 2.0 platforms, data sharing and museological  access/display 

• Creation, compilation and curation, including reflexive approaches to creation by  archaeologists as well as museological/heritage curatorial approaches with regard to  knowledge production  

• Historiography and archives; field diaries, reports, production of archaeological knowledge in  the past  

• Archives as a social construct; the creation of identities and individual and collective  memories and exploring the relationships between archives, their creators and users 

Please send an abstract of not more than 500 words to Leanne Philpot (lp303@cam.ac.uk) and Renate  Fellinger (rf296@cam.ac.uk) by 23rd August 2013. 

The full article should not exceed 4000 words.  The deadline for the first drafts will be 31st October 2013, for publication in November 2014. Style  guidelines and notes for contributors can be found at on the ARC website

The Archaeological Review from Cambridge is a non-profit journal managed and published on a  voluntary basis by archaeology postgraduate research students at the University of Cambridge. Issues  are released twice a year. Although primarily rooted in archaeological theory and practice, ARC  accommodates a wide range of perspectives in the hope of establishing a strong, interdisciplinary  journal which will be of interest to those engaged in a range of fields, and therefore breaking down  some of the boundaries that exist between disciplines.

 http://www.societies.cam.ac.uk/arc/