AAA2021 Session Themes V2

SESSION THEMES After Archaeology in Practice: Student Research in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Management An extraordinary and excitingly diverse range of research topics are pursued by students in archaeology and cultural heritage management and with the advent of covid-19, students have engaged with history, science and culture in ways we haven’t even begun to fully explore. Disseminating your research results to an audience of archaeologists at Australia’s annual conference was a huge hit at the 2019 AAA Conference on the Gold Coast and by request we propose to run a student-led and focussed session for the 2021 AAA conference. This session focusses on student research and provides an opportunity to speak alongside a group of your peers in a safe moderated space. We support and encourage student researchers at all levels to present a paper on their research in any area of archaeology and cultural heritage management from national and international contexts. Presenting in this forum allows you to develop important skills at communicating your research results. Presentations will be a maximum of 10-15minutes with 5 minutes for questions. Archaeological Science Collaborations: The ARCAS Network Session Archaeological science has become an integral part of Australian archaeology, with advancements in technologies allowing new types of data and/or higher resolution data to be produced. These data underpin detailed and nuanced interpretations of past human behaviour and contribute to understanding how people lived on Country. Archaeological science, with its foundations in western science, can play an important role in reconciliation and truth telling, especially when combined with the traditional knowledges of First Nation people. Archaeological science can also contribute to public/community archaeology, through the fascinating insights it reveals and its contribution to the development of engaging narratives. The Australasian Research Cluster for Archaeological Science (ARCAS) network session invites papers focusing on research collaborations with First Nations communities, government organisations, community groups and other bodies that highlight how archaeological science has contributed to understanding the past. We especially welcome papers that highlight how these collaborations facilitate reconciliation, truth telling and self- determination for First Nations communities. Australian Indigenous Archaeologists Present Our Work: Our Country; Our Communities Indigenous archaeologists have been working for over three decades in Australia, often on projects that are important and have relevance to our communities. Such projects include Community designed research projects, education, site management protection works, cultural tourism and promotion of cultural competency across the industry. Being an Indigenous archaeologist also includes speaking up against and taking on those who destroy our collective heritage, promoting ethical archaeology. This session invites Australia’s Indigenous archaeologists to present our work and our projects from our Country. Before Cook: The Archaeology of European and Island Southeast Asian Interactions with Australia This session investigates current research projects related to the archaeology of European and South East Asian interactions and long-term engagement with Indigenous Australians. The session sets out to contribute further knowledge about our understanding of European and South East Asians active in the Australasian region from the 17th and 18th centuries through archaeological and historical research. Outcomes to date have included new interpretations of Australian histories and sites. Case Studies in Collaboration: Prioritising Indigenous Interests in Cultural Heritage Consulting The public fallout from the destruction of Juukan Gorge illustrates a growing concern amongst the Australian public for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and heritage. At the same time, there is an increasing sensitivity of mining, energy resource and other extractive companies to public perceptions of their actions in this arena. In this context, cultural heritage consulting has the power to prioritise Indigenous voices and initiate cultural and systemic changes to how cultural heritage is managed. In this session we would like to invite case studies of meaningful engagement and participation of heritage experts alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders within the context of cultural heritage consulting, with the aim of showing ways in which the heritage industry can assist in the reconciliation process. Digital Archaeology Beyond Tools and Toys Digital Archaeology is an emerging research field utilising information technology and digital media. Archaeologists are continuously adapting and advancing archaeotech (archaeology technology) with base- level digital site and artefact recording, photogrammetry, laser scanning, UAS (unmanned aerial systems) and other tools that further our research objectives. Archaeologists often use these archaeotech tools and toys to document heritage for preserving the information from agents of deterioration (such as climate change, natural disasters, theft, and other forms of damage). However, these are just tools and the underlying purpose and goals of the research need to be considered. This session aims to discuss how archaeotech can be used to ultimately benefit Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and effectively communicate with non-specialist audiences. Disciplinary History in the Light of Indigenous Involvement From its beginnings, archaeological research in Australia and neighbouring regions has dealt predominantly with non-Western pasts, or (in the case of historical archaeology) with shared Indigenous and Western pasts. The long history of consultation between archaeologists and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is reflected in the Indo-Pacific region more broadly. However, there are also numerous examples of past archaeologists in these regions ignoring or devaluing Indigenous perspectives. This session looks at our disciplinary history through the lens of the conference theme, examining case studies of past consultation and/or collaboration between archaeologists and Indigenous peoples in Australia and neighbouring regions, as well as case studies of past failures to consult or collaborate. We welcome papers on any aspects of the history of archaeology in Australia and the Indo-Pacific, particularly those addressing Indigenous involvement in archaeology in these areas. Interrogating Absences in the Archaeological Record Archaeological endeavours around the world typically focus on materiality – the things we can see and hold, and use to explain how they are made meaningful in the past and present. Yet, a major challenge that has often been overlooked concerns explanations about what is missing, that is, those absences that can potentially speak volumes to understanding patterns of human behaviour. Recent examples involving rock art, patterning of specific types of stone artefacts, and the spaces between ‘significant sites’ (in a CHM context) have shown that absences are complex phenomena, they are choices made in response to factors such as environmental change, societal pressures such as violence, oppression, invasion, disease, and exposure to new peoples, ideas, and objects. The role of Indigenous ontologies and epistemologies in considering the nature of absences can also be useful in understanding the cultural complexities of absences. For this session we seek papers from across the archaeological spectrum of specialisations, and across different time periods – from the deep past to today. Case studies are encouraged, yet we are challenging contributors to not just identify absences but rather engage with broader theoretical concepts to understand the associated social and cultural processes that guide and inform people’s choices. Mining and Reconciliation The Pilbara is made up of a large number of Aboriginal groups who have owned and effectively managed the land for thousands of years. This session will look at case studies posing the question: Can mining be used as a basis for reconciliation? In return for access to land mining companies make commitments to cultural awareness, employment opportunities, heritage protection, land management, with the aim of providing long term benefits to future generations. On occasion the strong role mining has played in modern Australian culture hasn’t respected the rich Aboriginal cultural landscape in which it operates. What role does government legislation play in administering land rights and mineral rights? Does the materialistic view of recording cultural heritage captured in the legislative context underpinning all mining activity in the region arrest or facilitate the intergenerational transfer of knowledge? This session will include a joint paper between the Puutu Kunti Kurrama people and the Pinikura people and Rio Tinto about reconciliation post-Juukan. Aboriginal community knowledge of the cultural landscape is critical to understanding how mining could be done more respectfully. Through mutual values and respect can the aspirations of Traditional Owners and mining companies provide long term sustainable benefits for local communities and as a driver of Australian reconciliation? Reconciliation and the Safeguarding of Our Rock Art Heritage Rock Art in Australia and around the world is extremely important to living indigenous peoples as it is for

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