CFP: Archaeology and philosophy - Special issue of Topoi

OPEN CALL FOR PAPERS:

SPECIAL ISSUE OF TOPOI: AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF PHILOSOPHY

ARCHAEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY

Guest Editors:

Anton Killin (Australian National University), Sean Allen-Hermanson (Florida International University) and Marilynn Johnson (Florida International University)

This special issue will explore archaeological research and the archaeological record from a philosophical perspective. This means exploring both archaeology (its methods and frameworks) and the objects of its study (the artefacts comprising the material record and the ancient peoples who produced and used these artefacts). Topics may include (but are not limited to):

·         The nature of the archaeological record

·         Identifying epistemic resources for archaeological theorizing

·         Analysis/critique of the means by which archaeologists reconstruct the past (e.g., the use of ethnographic analogy)

·         How optimistic should researchers be about inference from the material record? What are the prospects for learning about, say, the minds of ancient humans/hominins from archaeological and palaeoanthropological traces?

·         Case studies that (attempt to) reconstruct the past accompanied by philosophical or methodological reflection

·         How best to interpret material signs and symbols and the communicative intentions behind them?

·         Conceptual concerns, including analysis and refinement of salient concepts, e.g., chaîne opératoire and behavioural modernity in their archaeological usages

·         Debate about evolutionary “transitions” or “revolutions”, including the onset of behavioural modernity, the agricultural revolution, and so on

·         What counts as an archaeological theory or framework, and what counts as an explanation?

·         The relation between indigenous peoples and archaeologists and the institutions they represent

·         Familiar theses in the philosophy of science applied to the special case of archaeology, such as scientific realism vs antirealism, monism vs pluralism, and so on

·         The intersection of methodology and practice: e.g., practical and/or normative concerns about the notion of value in archaeology, the handling of human remains, the nature of the trade in antiquities, and the restoration or ruination of archaeological artefacts

Invited authors include Gregory Currie (University of York), Stephen Davies (University of Auckland), Stephen M. Downes (University of Utah), Ben Jeffares (Whitireia and WelTec), Kim Sterelny (Australian National University), Alison Wylie (University of British Columbia), and participants of the 2017 “Digging Deeper: Archaeological & Philosophical Perspectives” conference at Florida International University, Miami, USA.

The guest editors welcome submissions of original contributions not published or under consideration elsewhere. Submission is open to all. The deadline for papers is 31 Jan 2019. Papers should ideally be around 7,000 words (including footnotes & references) and should not exceed 8,000. To submit, upload your paper (along with a 100-150 word abstract and 4-6 keywords) to the Topoi editorial management site, choosing Archaeology & Philosophy from the Special Issue drop-down box.

Topoi’s author guidelines for manuscript preparation, and a link to the editorial management site, are available via https://www.springer.com/philosophy/journal/11245