Since several decades, historians and sociologists of science scrutinize the history of science as a practice. References demonstrate, first, the relevance of investigating who are the writers of disciplinary histories and what are the uses of these histories and, second, archaeologists’ concern to this regard. This session organised by the “History of Archaeology” commission is intended to strengthen these studies from the case of archaeology.

Full abstract of the session

Since several decades, historians and sociologists of science scrutinize the history of science as a practice. Loren R. Graham et al., for example, investigated the “Functions and Uses of Disciplinary Histories” in their eponymous edited book (1983). Writing the history of archaeological research, and prehistoric archaeology in particular, has a long history too. It raised the interest of several archaeologists in the early 20th century, such as James Reid Moir, in his paper about the “Position of Prehistoric Research in England” (1917), and Léon Aufrère, with his Essay on the first discoveries by Boucher de Perthes and the origins of primitive archaeology (1936, in French). This long-term concern of archaeologists for the writing of the history of their field has continuous occurrences until today, as illustrated by Glyn Daniels' introduction on the “Necessity for an Historical Approach to Archaeology” (1981), Douglas R. Givens' “Short History of the Bulletin of the History of Archaeology” (2002), and Tim Murray's paper addressing “Why the History of Archaeology is Essential to Theoretical Archaeology” (2013). These few references demonstrate, first, the relevance of investigating who are the writers of disciplinary histories and what are the uses of these histories and, second, archaeologists' concern to this regard. This session is intended to strengthen these studies from the case of archaeology. Proposals may relate to, but are not limited to, these topics:

• the status of the history of archaeology as a discipline, sub-discipline, informal network, etc.
• publishing aspects of in the history of archaeology: bibliometrical studies, history of related publishing houses or journals, etc.;
• biographical case-studies about prominent or poorly-known historians of archaeology;
• tension between the global and national dimensions in the practice of history of archaeology;
• styles and theoretical trends in the history of archaeology;
• past and current places of the history of archaeology in university trainings in archaeology; etc.

Deadlines and submission guidelines

Abstracts must be submitted online via submission form

before the 15^th May 2023.

15^th May – 31^st May 2023: Evaluation of contributions by Sessions.

1^st June 2023: The final Program of the 20th UISPP Congress, Timişoara, 2023.

The 20th International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences Congress will be held in Timișoara, Romania from 3 to 10 September 2023.

Organisation and selection

Sébastien Plutniak, CNRS, UMR Citeres-LAT, Tours, France