| Date | 27-28 November 2025 | |
| Time | 9:00-17:30 | |
| Venue | Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, Copenhagen |
Archaeology’s relationship with its colonial past is well-documented and much discussed, but what still requires unpicking is the intersection of colonial archaeological projects, especially those of the 19th and 20th centuries, and their contemporary digital footprint. This conference will explore how the historiography of archaeology and contemporary archaeological practice are now being mediated through digital media. We invite contributions that extend beyond mere digitisation and online publication and engage deeply with the ways in which digital materials influence examinations of historiography, archaeology, and the attendant ethical considerations.
By bringing together two strands of research—namely the nature of digitality in archaeology and the transformation of archaeological research through decolonial practice—and applying them to questions of preservation, historiography, and larger questions of narrative production within archaeology, this conference aims to problematise how academia approaches archaeological research in the digital age.
Essential to how archaeologists interpret the past is their relationship with material and materiality. In what ways does digitisation change that relationship, what relationship does the digital object have with the original, and how does that in turn impact the narratives we create? These knotty questions will be explored through sensitive and in-depth engagement with the nature of archaeological practice, as well as with the nature of the objects themselves. Furthermore, we invite contributors to examine the ways archaeology has been impacted by (and has contributed to) digital colonialism (i.e., the aggregation of digital resources and data which excludes, or is at the expense of marginalised communities). Together, these two approaches to digital archaeological research will generate nuanced and critical discussions that will advance both the material and ethical dimensions of archaeological practice.
This conference will include contributions that move beyond the mechanics of digitisation and specifically seek to explore how digitised material shapes research, interpretation, and knowledge production, and the ways in which we can move the discipline towards a decolonial practice. While contributions will primarily stem from research that concerns the Near East and the Eastern Mediterranean, the focus is upon the potential (or lack thereof) of digital material and digitised archival material in decolonising archaeological research.
For invited speakers we will cover travel (economy class only) and up to 3 nights of accommodation. Please book your own travel to Copenhagen, and we will reimburse you after your stay (please book your ticket directly through an airline and not via a travel search engine). We would appreciate it, if you could book sooner rather than later in order to get a reasonably priced flight.
You will receive a link to Aarhus University's travel reimbursement form. Please keep your receipts as you will be asked to upload documentation for your expenses.
NOTE: As soon as you have booked your flight, please forward your itinerary to Sine Saxkjær (saxkjaer@cas.au.dk), so that the hotel booking can be finalised.
Comfort Hotel Vesterbro
Vesterbrogade 23/29
1620 København
Website
A speakers’ dinner will be held 27 November, and we will of course cater for you during the conference.
If you have any dietary restrictions (incl. allergies), please let Sine Saxkjær (saxkjaer@cas.au.dk) know no later than 1 November, so that the restaurant/caterers can be notified.
