From our President

by Felipe Criado-Boado, EAA President, on the behalf of EAA Executive Board and Committees (felipe.criado-boado@incipit.csic.es)

2017 was a great year for the EAA. We had a superb Annual Meeting in Maastricht based on the principle of ‘building bridges’. We have received a truly wonderful response from members to the call for sessions for the Barcelona 2018 Annual Meeting to ‘reflect futures,’ and many of the proposed sessions have offered provocative perspectives that address this theme.

As I see it, this is the best EAA news from 2017: when the situation in Barcelona and Catalonia began to appear potentially problematic over the last few months, our membership showed their trust, support and interest in our Annual Meeting, and reacted by offering the highest number of sessions (275) in the history of the EAA (almost 25 years now). This is partly a result of the excellent work that the Organising Committee (Marga Díaz-Andreu, Sandra Montón and Raquel Pique), the local PCO, the Scientific and Advisory Committees and our own Secretariat (that for the first time is running the registration process from Prague, despite many of you will not have even realized!), are doing. But this response from members also says something about the type of organization we are, the type of values we endorse, and the type of work we do, even when these may have different meanings for each of us, and gives us great pride to be a part of the EAA.

In my first address as president at TEA 47, exactly two years ago, I emphasized that Archaeology as a discipline, and archaeological practices at the level of each of us as individual practitioners, has to be concerned with the big issues of Humanity, those that provide insights into what it means to be human: our relationship with the environment, sustainability, mobility, memory, tradition, community, identity, consciousness, action, and the like. The current dynamism of our Annual Meetings has always promoted these types of reflections. In the years to come, we must underpin these reflections and, moreover, facilitate putting them into practice and becoming EAA policies, as statements, recommendations, working guidelines or codes.

We started from Maastricht by condensing this intellectual ambition in a precise motto for the Annual Meeting, and this is something that we will keep doing. We all know that reality cannot be summarized in a single lemma, and thought is not just embedded in a single sentence. But it helps. When the situation in Barcelona seemed to be on the verge of becoming a real problem, I am sure that it helped that we were going to the Annual Meeting in the city with the idea of “reflecting futures”. This is something that would not only have encouraged any current members of the EAA, but also any archaeologists and other related or interested individuals and bodies in Europe and beyond, to actively take part in what promises to be a superb setting for an exciting conference.

Barcelona has been an urban laboratory since the high Medieval Ages: a place of diversity, a backdrop for processes on multiple scales that reflect different ways of constructing the future, a city with a long experience of urban life and social innovations. From the prehistory of Modernity through to Upper Modernity, the urban space of Barcelona has reflected the rising Modern order, the subsequent modern disorder, struggles for workers’ rights, modernist social identities, and alternative ways of living. If you examine the history of Barcelona, you will realize that it is a city that has constantly reinvented itself. The early industrial era, the periods of strife such as the Tragic Week of 1909 and May Day of 1937, the Spanish Civil War, the transition to democracy, the 1992 Olympics, and the present day, when Barcelona is experiencing highly interesting new ways of reclaiming the city for its citizens, have all been reflected in its urban layout, and in the way that it is continually taking shape.

As a result, Barcelona offers a reflection of our future pasts, much in the way that archaeology does: our profession consists of the ability to reflect on how the future comes into existence. But we also need to have the power to prototype the future. Barcelona 2018 (the 24th Annual Meeting of the EAA, shortly before commemorating our 25th anniversary) is the ideal setting for the EAA to further its ability to reflect the past, in order to be able to reflect about the future. We will use 2018 to apply and develop the strategic decisions reached at the Maastricht AMBM, and will present them to members for your discussion and approval.

In this respect, there are lots of other issues in the pipeline, and I cannot go into all of them in any real detail. Here are just a few outlines:

All of you will already know that 2018 is the European Year of Cultural Heritage. This is an important event to foster the mutual engagement between heritage and public and between Archaeology and heritage. The EAA was recognized as one of the stakeholders of the EYCH. Because of this, you need to know that the EAA can award the EYCH label for any initiative that our members, or others, plan. Just follow the guidelines that have been posted on our website.

This TEA is full of news and initiatives, including details about TEA publishing policies and other. These are mainly intended to foster the engagement between you as members and what the EAA officially does. So please let us know about any news that was relevant for you. We want to use EAA media (either the TEA, the web or social media) to share news about Archaeology and our members that is significant for a wider audience.

Finally, it is with great pride that we start 2018 with three new Corporate Members: Kiel Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte, Salisbury Régészeti Kft., and the Prehistoric Society. We welcome and warmly thank these institutions for their support. Having being personally involved in the process, I must acknowledge the clear vision of Johannes Mueller and Alex Gibson to take this important step. As in other respects, it is also within my scope to foster the contribution and visibility of our Corporate Members in terms of EAA performance, as much as I am also looking forward to encouraging many other esteemed institutions and entities to become new Corporate Members.

On behalf of the EAA Officers, the Executive Board, the Secretariat, and all the Committees and Communities,

Felipe Criado-Boado

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Calendar for EAA members February - April 2018

  • early February - Call for nominations to the EAA election circulated to the members
  • early February - Announcement of grant selection criteria for 24th EAA Annual Meeting
  • 15 February - Deadline for paper / poster submissions for 24th EAA Annual Meeting
  • 9-11 March - EAA Executive Board meeting, Prague
  • 15 March - Deadline for 24th EAA Annual Meeting sessions organizers to evaluate papers / posters / other contributions
  • 25 March - Announcement of 24th EAA Annual Meeting contributions acceptance / rejection to presenters
  • 25 March - Announcement of 24th EAA Annual Meeting volunteers selection results
  • 31 March - 24th EAA Annual Meeting registration and membership payment deadline for presenters
  • 31 March - Deadline for 24th EAA Annual Meeting early bird registration and early bird membership fee payment
  • 10 April - Deadline for nominations by members to the EAA election
  • 14 April - EAA Nomination Committee meeting
  • 15 April - Deadline for submissions to TEA spring issue (to be published in late April)
  • 30 April - Final version of 24th EAA Annual Meeting scientific programme announced

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Upcoming Events

2018

2019

2020

 

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Nomination for 2018 election

Dear Member of the European Association of Archaeologists

In your quality as current EAA Member you are welcome to consider nominating yourself or a colleague to one of the positions open for election in 2018.

The chart below shows the current composition of the EAA Executive Board and Nomination Committee – positions that will become vacant for the election in 2018 are highlighted in golden bold italics and include two Ordinary Executive Board members, and a Nomination Committee member. Completed nominations must be received at the EAA Secretariat before 10 April 2018 in order to be considered in the nomination process.

 

EAA Executive Board








President
  
    Felipe Criado-Boado
  
      2015-2021
  

Secretary



Karen Waugh




2017-2020

Treasurer



Margaret Gowen - Larsen




2014-2019

Vice-President
  
    Sophie Hüglin
  
      2014-2020
  

Ordinary Board Member



Manuel Fernández-Götz




2015-2018

Ordinary Board Member



Maria Gurova




2013-2019

Ordinary Board Member



Esa Mikkola




2015-2018

Ordinary Board Member



Hrvoje Potrebica




2016-2019

Ordinary Board Member



Alessandro Vanzetti




2014-2020









EAA Nomination Committee








Committee Member



Bettina Arnold




2016-2019

Committee Member



Margarita Díaz-Andreu




2015-2018

Commitee Member



John Robb




2017-2020

 

Election of Ordinary Executive Board members

Candidates proposed for the post of Ordinary Executive Board member must be supported by 10 full individual current members of the EAA. Complete nominations received will be forwarded for consideration to the Nomination Committee which will then produce the lists of candidates to be included in the ballot. The ballot papers will be sent to all full members before 7 August 2018. You may then vote for your preferred candidates by post, fax, e-mail or on-line; alternatively, you may vote using your ballot papers at the conference in Barcelona. Elected candidates’ term of office will be 2018 – 2021.

Executive Board Members shall supervise, control, and direct the affairs of the Association, its communities, publications, etc. (Statutes Art. VI.1). In their responsibility to develop and improve the Association, Ordinary Executive Board Member shall, among other duties,
  • take part in drawing up the EAA Long-Term Plan and work in accordance with the current Long-Term Plan
  • assume responsibility for an assigned area of EAA activities
  • attend Executive Board meetings (normally February/March and August/September; travel costs can be reimbursed)
  • promote the EAA in any relationship with other organizations
  • assist Scientific Committees of the Annual Meetings.

 

Election of Nomination Committee member

Candidates running for a position on the Nomination Committee must be supported by 5 full individual current members of the EAA. Nominations received will obviously not be forwarded to the current Nomination Committee but will be directly included in the ballot. The ballot papers will be circulated to all full members before 7 August 2018. The new Nomination Committee member will then be elected through the normal election process as above, i.e. in a vote by post, fax, e-mail or on-line or at the conference in Barcelona. Elected candidate’s term of office will be 2018 – 2021.

Nomination Committee is responsible for nominating candidate(s) for vacant positions on the Executive Board, and ensure a broad geographical representation with respect to age, institutional affiliation and gender (Statutes Art. VII). Nomination Committee Members are expected to look for suitable candidates for election throughout the year and to communicate with fellow Committee members. Nomination Committee Members shall have some years of experience as member of the Association and a good overview of their geographical area. Nomination Committee Members must be able to devote time to their task in certain times of the year (normally in spring/early summer).


Appointment of Editorial Board members

A system of appointment rather than election was approved at the Annual Business Meeting in Riva del Garda in 2009. Therefore, members cannot put themselves forward for election to the Editorial Board, but can express their interest to work on this board to the EAA Secretariat, which will then communicate it to the Executive Board which is responsible for the appointment of new Editorial Board members.

 

If you are interested in serving the EAA in any of the available positions or if you have any suggestions for candidates, please send the completed candidate form to the EAA Secretariat before 10 April 2018.

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EAA and the Prehistoric Society Collaboration

 by Alex Gibson, Hon President of the Prehistoric Society (http://www.prehistoricsociety.org)  

The Prehistoric Society was founded in 1935 and its interests are worldwide, extending from the earliest human origins to the emergence of written records. Our membership extends to over 40 countries and comprises both professional prehistorians as well as interested non-professionals and students The Society aims to promote prehistoric research, facilitate access to the results of this research, and recognise excellence, through its awards and grants. It supports both established and early career researchers and also acts as an important advocate for prehistoric archaeology. It reaches its membership and beyond by organising lectures, conferences, day visits and through its publications Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, PAST, and its Research Series.

The Prehistoric Society demonstrates its commitment to the field of European prehistory both in the level of grant aid it gives to non-UK projects as well as holding a Europa conference each year. Recent support for research projects has been provided in Turkey, Sweden, Macedonia, Italy, Romania, Spain, Denmark, Ukraine, Hungary and the Netherlands. The Europa conference is supported by a legacy from the late Professor Grahame Clark and is awarded to a prehistorian who has made a substantial contribution to European prehistory. Previous recipients have included Pierre Petrequin, Kristian Kristiansen, Richard Bradley, Alasdair Whittle and Helle Vankilde. The conference takes the research of the recipient as its theme and comprises a day of lectures by early career researchers and a second day of lectures delivered by speakers invited by the Europa lecturer.

With Brexit negotiations taking place and with uncertainty hanging over the future of British and European relations, especially in the realms of academia, the Society has been in dialogue with EAA as to the best way to continue to demonstrate our support for British-European collaboration in the field of prehistoric research. As a result of these negotiations, I am delighted to announce that the Prehistoric Society will become a corporate member of EAA in early 2018. We shall have a corporate presence at the 2018 EAA conference in Barcelona after which we look forward to taking a more pro-active role in EAA conference organisation. I would like to thank EAA President Felipe Criado-Boado for his active role in our negotiations, and I look forward to a future of collaboration within EAA.

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