- Aleksa Alaica, University of Alberta, CLAAS (alaica@ualberta.ca)
- Diana Moreiras, University of British Columbia, CLAAS (dianakarina.moreiras@ubc.ca)
- Alec McLellan, Trent University, CLAAS (alec.mclellan@utoronto.ca)
This session invites participants to present their emerging research on the archaeology of Latin America. We welcome researchers from all levels of experience and encourage collaborative papers to discuss social dynamics throughout the region. This online session provides an alternative venue for Latin American researchers to engage with their colleagues in which the ongoing global pandemic prevents many members of the Latin American community from traveling. By bringing together researchers from across the Americas, we hope that this session will serve to democratize the way that research is disseminated, but more importantly it provides an inclusive event permitting the participation of researchers regardless of funding, nation of residence, and citizenship.
In this session, participants will mobilize datasets that include regional and site-based analyses. We encourage the application of innovative theoretical frameworks that consider social interactions based on familial affiliation, political alliance, and economic networks. Furthermore, we welcome papers that examine how social interactions were influenced by economic and political circumstances, but also ceremonial and ritual practices. The breadth and diversity of past cultural horizons in Latin American will facilitate a fruitful discussion following the talks.
The Canadian Latin American Archaeology Society is committed to breaking down borders that separate researchers working across the region. Researchers that contribute to this session are encouraged to write their papers in mind of publishing their research in a special issue in a peer-reviewed journal. We anticipate that both Canadian-based and non-Canadian-based researchers will promote the importance of Latin American archaeology to the curricula of postsecondary institutions in Canada and abroad.