EAA 2017 “Building Bridges” – 23rd Annual Meeting of European Association of Archaeologists

The 23rd Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) will take place from 30 August until 03 September 2017 in Maastricht: “This is where twenty five years ago, on February 7th, 1992, the famous Maastricht Treaty was signed. The long term effects on archaeology of both the Maastricht Treaty and the Valetta Convention, also agreed upon in 1992, will be discussed at the meeting. In the light of the current political and social situation in Europe, and its effects on science, it was obvious to choose Maastricht’s most important landmark, the Saint Servatius Bridge (Aw Brök, or Old Bridge, in local dialect), as the meeting’s logo.”

Conference themes:

1. Twenty-five Years after Maastricht: Archaeology and Europe’ future
2. The Valletta Convention: the next 25 years
3. Trans- and Metadisciplinary Approaches in Archaeology
4. The “Third Science Revolutioné in Archaeology
5. Comparing Archaeology Across Regions and Periods
6. Interpreting the Archaeological Record

More information is available on the conference website: www.eaa2017maastricht.nl

Europa Nostra’s Secretary General Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović will be among the speakers of the EAA 2017 to talk about “For a Renaissance of the European Project: Archaeology as a key tool for unveiling Europe’s memory and identity.”

Abstract:

In response to so many national, European and global challenges, we are today facing some encouraging signs of a renewed political commitment to the European project based on a set of European values. In this changing political context, there is a growing need to put a much higher emphasis on our shared culture and shared history as a strategic and cohesive force for the future of Europe. The forthcoming European Year of Cultural Heritage in 2018 provides a perfect opportunity for such a shift in EU policy and funding priorities.

The speaker will argue that archaeology, as well as all the other disciplines that help define and better understand our European cultural background and our present multi-layered identity, can have a decisive role in this vital process. Since archaeology investigates the most remote past of this identity, it is essential to help our better understanding that we, Europeans, have more common cultural baggage, than differences and also that we have important cultural ties with other world civilisations. At the same time, since Archaeology investigates networks, as well as the material culture of populations, it is also a strong tool to identify the nuances, the diversities, which make our culture so rich and multifaceted. But some groups of people and some political leaders are using these differences to build walls rather than bridges. We must therefore ensure that Archaeology is not used to divide but rather to unite. We indeed need to accept and embrace the idea that diversity is a strong asset to our European identity and to our open society.

The speaker will illustrate her contribution by examples of outstanding archaeological projects from various parts of Europe that have received in the past years one of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards.