For TEA, 2019 ended with reports of the successful Bern AM, and the build-up to Budapest 2020. The arrival of the SARS-CoV2 virus in Europe in 2020 quickly brought those plans to a halt. Now, after months of developing scenarios, testing virtual conference software, and working with session organisers, EAA has a plan for a 2020 EAA Virtual Annual Meeting. The 2020 Virtual AM will be held in the same week as the cancelled onsite meeting, 24 – 30 August 2020, but will have a slightly different order of events. Check the EAA 2020 Virtual website for details; in particular, the opening ceremony will be held, but on Tuesday rather than Wednesday, and parallel session will be hosted from Wednesday through Sunday. The AM is being held as a service to members, with no registration fee or other charges for current (2020) EAA members. The scientific programme and details about the software (Hopin) can be found on the conference website.
This issue contains the results of a survey of EAA members on interest in an EAA Community for the Archaeologies of the Americas. The goal of this community is to foster trans-Atlantic connections, networking and cooperation around archaeological research in the Americas. The authors intend to formally establish an EAA Community for the archaeologies of the Americas, so keep your eyes and ears open, and let them know if you are interested in joining!
Another highlight of this issue is the collected interviews of recently-tenured academics, conducted by members of the EAA Early Research Careers in Archaeology (ERCA) task force. We read what it has taken for Penny Bickle, Martin Furholt, Oliver Harris, Daniela Hofmann, Silviane Scharl, Suzie Thomas and Marc Vander Linden to land permanent academic positions in archaeology – a dream for many young EAA members. We thank the members of this EAA Task Force and the interviewees for their commitment to helping their fellow scholars, and for providing the EAA with this valuable resource.
We remind you to vote in the 2020 EAA general elections. Since we are all ‘grounded’ you will not be able to submit a ballot on-site. Current EAA members should have received voting information in an email from the Secretariat. This year, we will elect an Incoming President, a new Secretary, and members of the Executive Board and Nominating Committee. We also encourage you to take full advantage of the 2020 Virtual meeting by participating in the virtual Annual Membership Business Meeting, and sending your thoughts about the meeting to the Executive Board and/or TEA.
Please keep an eye on our Upcoming Events section, here in our newsletter and on the EAA website. Many events are being postponed or switched to virtual platforms.
Our next issue, Autumn 2020, has a deadline of 15 October 2020. What do you want to see on the final page of your newsletter?
We look forward to hearing from you at tea@e-a-a.org.
Roderick B. Salisbury and Katharina Rebay-Salisbury