News
/ Research
Call: “People vs food – technologies and terminologies of subsistence strategies in a comparative perspective from prehistoric contexts.” (September 2020 | Oxford)
25th biennial SAFA meeting
We are very pleased to announce our session proposal for the forthcoming 25th biennial SAFA meeting of 2020 in Oxford, entitled
“People vs food: technologies and terminologies of subsistence strategies in a comparative perspective from prehistoric contexts.”
The session explores the interaction of people, food and subsistence strategies from prehistoric contexts across Africa, highlighting aspects related to technological studies and interpretive paradigms involved. The session abstract follows below, and if you are interested in participating in this session please provide a proposed title for a podium presentation by November 10th at marianna.fusco86@cluttergmail.com and rocco.rotunno@clutteruniroma1.it.
Session abstract proposal
Though often marginalized in the development of models for food procurement, production and management, Africa presents unique and theoretically informative case studies for global comparison. The archaeological record from mid-late Pleistocene up to Early Holocene presents an extraordinary wealth of data concerning the adoption of different subsistence strategies related to environmental changes and cultural variability. From food production/procurement to food processing and consumption, to its ultimate discard, the stages and actions performed are commonly indicative of social identity and complexity. Reconstruction and interpretation of the relationship between people and food are more often weakened by inadequate terminologies considering recent advances in archaeological research.
The aim of this session is to draw together research and data gathered from African prehistoric contexts. With a focus on the northern and eastern parts of the continent, the contributions will help to develop updated explicative models to better define the highlighted variability of subsistence strategies within human groups and cultural entities. The following research topics are warmly welcome:
1. Technologies and economies (Lithic analysis, pottery studies, faunal and vegetal remains)
2. Landscape and sites (landscape and territorial analysis, site function, environmental studies)
3. People and mobility (bioarchaeological analysis, mobility patterns, trade and exchange studies).
