Call: EUSN 2021 Session: Networks and the study of the human past

please consider to submit an abstract for the session on „Networks and the study of the human past“ at the next EUSN-Conference. The 5th European Conference on Social Network (EUSN 2021) will be held as a hybrid in person/remote event in Naples, Italy on September 7-10th 2021.

The abstracts (500 words or less) have to be submitted until May 23 via the conference website. Please also indicate „Networks and the study of the human past“ as your session: http://www.eusn2021.unina.it/callforpapers.html    

We are looking forward to your abstracts!

All the best,

Martin Stark, Maria Carmela Schisani, Aline Deicke and Paolo Cimadomo                       

Session description:

A growing number of studies in history and archaeology have shown that network research has the potential to constructively enhance our understanding of the human past. Moreover, it is becoming clear that archaeological and historical data sources pose interesting challenges and opportunities to network analysts and network scientists. How did human networks change over huge timescales? How can old texts and material artefacts help in answering this question? However, many questions in the practical application of network analysis in the historical disciplines still remain, as methodologies to analyze and reconstruct the past are continuously developed further.

The aim of this session is twofold. Firstly, we want to present new findings and approaches within historical and archaeological network research, and promote contacts between the various disciplines that approach past phenomena using methods derived from network analysis or network science. Secondly, we strive to further the development of a context specific historical and archaeological network research, drawing on the relational thinking of network theory and the analytical possibilities of network analysis or network science in combination with archaeological and historical source critique and reasoning.

The session invites contributions from various disciplines applying methods of formal network analysis and network science to the study of the human past. We welcome submissions concerning any period, geographical area or topic, which might include but are not limited to: economics, politics, military issues, religion, science, culture, kinship and migration, interpersonal or organizational relations, artistic transmissions, material and immaterial connections, material sources as proxy evidence for social phenomena, networks extracted from texts, geospatial or temporal networks, big data and data collection from fragmentated sources.

Session Organizers:

Paolo Cimadomo (University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy)

Aline Deicke (Academy of Sciences and Literature | Mainz, Mainz, Germany)

Maria Carmela Schisani (University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy)

Martin Stark (ILS, Dortmund, Germany)