2024 ASHA Conference

Session Organisers:Dr Samuel Dix and Dr Daryl Wesley, Flinders University

Session Format:Short Papers Session (8 presentations of 10 mins each, followed by 10 minutes for Q&A or general discussion).

This session delves into the nuanced archaeological evidence of conflicts across the globe. The session acknowledges the broad scope of conflict archaeology, addressing both macro-scale global conflicts and micro-scale individual experiences. Indigenous perspectives on conflict, traditionally marginalised in mainstream historical narratives, are brought to the forefront through interdisciplinary archaeological methodologies. We aim to explore the multifaceted nature of conflict archaeology from material traces such as occupation sites, conflict sites, defensive structures, and cultural landscapes are investigated to expand our understanding of a society’s experiences and responses to conflict. Exploring the narratives of Veterans from modern conflicts who become a link between sites and memory, such as, but not limited to, Iraq and Afghanistan, bring an understanding of conflict and reactions to war on all scales and allows a new level of understanding in human conflict through archaeology. By integrating evidence from various contexts—urban centres, maritime settings, home fronts, and traditional Indigenous lands—we seek to provide a comprehensive understanding of how conflict has shaped and been shaped by nation states through to local communities. We invite papers that explore these themes, employing interdisciplinary techniques to contextualise conflict within archaeology.

Session Organisers:Bronwyn Woff, Artefrag Analysis and Nadia Bajzelj, Christine Williamson Heritage Consultants

Session Format:Standard Session, With option of short papers for emerging professionals if submissions are received in the CFP

Historic artefacts are a key tool in tracing the economic and societal growth of within a colony, state or country. They can provide data points against which the characteristics of an individual, household or wider geographic region can be interpreted. Characteristics such as income, occupation, status, gender and background can be explored, set against the backdrop of wider economic and social patterns. This session aims to bring together archaeological narratives based in artefact analyses to share interpretations of people and place; and to explore the processes by which objects are made, sold and discarded.

We welcome papers which engage with artefact analysis at any level of investigation, whether focussed on objects, people, themes, sites, neighbourhoods or broader perspectives. We encourage presentations by emerging professionals.

Session Organiser:Kate Clark

Session Format:Flexible. Either Standard Session or Introductory Paper and then Panel Discussion (subject to submissions received)

How are you delivering social impact through your work? How can we raise awareness of the role of archaeology and heritage in wider corporate social responsibility? Where is the evidence base in Australia? And what are the ethical and other challenges that you see ahead for archaeologists and heritage practitioners in this space?

Australia has launched a new national Wellbeing framework that barely mentions the role of culture in wellbeing – let alone archaeology or heritage.

Yet archaeological and heritage projects have the potential to make a difference to mental and physical, health, inclusion, social connections or wellbeing. And this is backed up by a growing international evidence base for the health and social impacts of archaeology and heritage activities, from working with veterans to address trauma, to memory projects that engage older people in care settings.

In heritage we are used to talking about social significance in listing, but there is less discussion of wider social impact of archaeology or heritage activities. This session will be a chance to explore the social impact of archaeology and heritage practices, and to debate some of the challenges in raising awareness of the wider social impact and benefits of our work.

Session Organiser:Cassie Gordon

Session Format:Standard Session (4 presentations of 20 minutes each, with 10 mins at the end of the session for general Q&A)

This session explores the rich intersection of material culture studies and landscape archaeology, focusing on the entanglement of objects and people within evolving national and colonial landscapes. Emphasising the conference theme “A capital idea: from colonies to nation states,” the session delves into how ‘experienced objects’ illuminate historical narratives and cultural identities shaped by the transition from colonial settlements to established nation states.

I invite contributions that critically engage with:

• The significance of ‘experienced objects’ in interpreting personal and collective histories.
• Approaches to studying material culture as dynamic agents in shaping cultural landscapes.
• Methodological innovations in archaeological research, including GIS, photogrammetry, and digital storytelling.
• Case studies exploring the ritualisation and commemoration of material culture within public spaces.
• The role of public archaeology in preserving and interpreting cultural heritage amidst evolving urban landscapes.

This session aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue among historical archaeologists, cultural heritage managers, and public archaeologists, offering insights into how archaeological inquiry enriches our understanding of the past and informs contemporary heritage practices.

Session Organiser:Pamela Kottaras, PK Heritage

Session Format:Workshop

Cultural landscapes are not often considered on projects with a large geographical span, or where smaller components of the landscape are included in a project and not immediately visible when assessing a project area. This category of item will soon be at risk, particularly in regional and rural locations.

We have landscapes that are formed out of life before and after colonisation that takes account of intangible values, natural landscapes, the built and cultivated environment and, archaeological sites that may be visible but are generally not. The key is figuring out how significant these landscapes are to all stakeholders, or what components are significant to which stakeholders.

A brief outline of the workshop is presented below:

• Up to five subject leads
• Identifying a cultural landscape
• Expressing what a cultural landscape is
• Managing impacts

Session Organiser:Dr Brad Duncan, Heritage NSW

Session Format:Standard Session (4 presentations of 20 minutes each, with 10 mins at the end of the session for general Q&A)

Water is a crucial element in human existence within the Australasian/ Polynesian region. It has been a vital component for exploration / transportation networks across oceans or served as natural highways to the interior prior road networks construction and the opening up of new settlements.

Water has provided bounties for harvesting marine or riverine natural resources for food and sustenance. Waterways manipulation and industrial applications have opened up new ventures in sterile environments, used both power sources and processing, and is the lifeblood for agriculture. Aquatic areas delineate borders of cultural contacts and form vital components of defence landscapes and other liminal spaces.

Water is pivotal for human existence in all societies. This session invites papers from researchers investigating the multifaceted role of this essential fluid in historical and modern times.

Papers may include:

• Marine and waterway transport systems regimes.
• Agricultural and industrial applications of water management (including water mills, irrigation and drainage systems, timber harvesting; farming and mining practices etc.)
• Natural resource exploitation practices, including fishing, seabed mining, and other water based industries).
• Defense, cross cultural contact and lore.

Session Organiser:Greg Jackson

Session Format:Standard Session (4 presentations of 20 minutes each, with 10 mins at the end of the session for general Q&A)

This session invites papers sharing the experience of forming the fabric of convict archaeology which is a discipline that has undergone significant development since our convict past became a source of study. The aim of this session is to share our various experiences of finding and evaluating the stories of the convicts that played such an important part of Australia’s development. The session will share interesting and novel ideas on how to extend the theoretical and practical methods available to researchers to further their knowledge of convict life stories and their enterprises.

Papers may include:

• The physical remains of convict labour
• Convict stories
• Government convict gangs and workstations
• Privately employed agricultural and industrial convicts
• Convicts’ interaction with Aboriginal people
• Convict data sources
• Convict transportation