Source: HSozUKult.
Empires are expansive, swallowing whole populations
that stand in their way. What happens when things fall apart? This conference
examines life on the frontier of imperial polities at the point when central
hegemonic power breaks down.
Lines on a map are complex and paradoxical places on
the ground. During periods of expansion, frontier zones of empires are
characterised by an extreme imbalance in power. Empires demarcate boundaries
between who is in and who is out, those who belong and those who are classed as
external. People, structures and things are defined in relation to a centre or
heartland that can be very distant from the frontier. Yet borderlands are also
areas of intense and complex interactions between populations on either side.
This can result in the development of cohesive identities which may funnel
energies that challenge centralised authority. Frontier zones play a crucial
role when centralised power breaks down. Fragmentation, population mobility and
shifts towards localised authority challenge and transform the heartland at its
core.
Focusing on four temporal and geographic areas –
frontiers of ancient empires of Egypt and Mesopotamia, Romans and barbarians,
colonial frontiers, and the Iron Curtain – this conference aims to trace the
role of imperial borders through deep time. An explicitly inter-disciplinary
focus, crossing intellectual boundaries, will address the politics of
inclusion, exclusion and resistance along the frontiers of empires, in
particular during periods of collapse. It is hoped that a wide range of
evidence (material, scientific, written, photographic, cartographic, oral, and
others) can be brought to the discussion. The view from the edge will provide a
new perspective on what holds empires together and on what ultimately causes
their demise.
Contributions are invited to consider the following
themes:
1 The physical construction of frontiers
Frontier studies have often focused on the function of
architectural structures, such as military installations, gateways, walls or
bridges in maintaining the frontier. Recent work on architecture and the
spatial environment has opened up new ways of studying the impact of buildings
and how they exert power and control. This theme seeks to examine frontier structures
as active spaces. How does architecture control and facilitate the movement of
people and goods? How is it challenged by the people it intends to control?
2 Frontier zones as sources of identity
While frontiers exist to demarcate and separate populations,
they are also areas of close social interaction with intense population
mobility. As well as being potential arenas for conflict and competition they
can also generate new forms of identity, through the movement of people, ideas
and customs. How do populations respond to definitions of who belongs and who
does not? How do they deal with experiences of difference in those on the other
side? What effects do migration and mobility have on identity?
3 Frontier remains
Imperial frontiers in the past can have long echoes in
the present, affecting modern-day populations. They can continue to exert power
long after authority in the centre has ceased to exist. Religious, linguistic
and ethnic divides can live on, drawing on memories of former frontiers. A critical
examination of the biography of frontiers can highlight some of the enduring
sources of identities today.
Venue
The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research is
located on the Downing Site of the University of Cambridge, in the city centre.
The Institute exists to further research by Cambridge archaeologists and their
collaborators into all aspects of the human past, across time and space. It
supports archaeological fieldwork, archaeological science, material culture
studies, and archaeological theory in an interdisciplinary framework. Since its
inception, the Institute has played a particularly leading role in cognitive
archaeology, broadly defined. It sponsors seminar series, workshops and
international conferences. It produces the Cambridge Archaeological Journal and
publishes the McDonald Institute Monographs.
Practicalities
Please confirm your attendance by sending a title and
short abstract by 15 June 2012. Since there are no parallel sessions, slots for
speakers are limited. Reasonable travel costs, accommodation and meals will be
provided.
Kontakt:
Susanne Hakenbeck
McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research,
University of Cambridge
Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK
++44-(0)1223-339347
seh43@cam.ac.uk