EAA 2021: 27th Annual Meeting Opening Ceremony and keynote by Henny Piezonka

Opening Ceremony Agenda
• Welcome by Felipe Criado-Boado, President of the EAA
• Welcome by Karin Prier, Minister of Education, Science, and Culture of Schleswig-Holstein
• Welcome by Simone Fulda, President of Kiel University
• Welcome by Johannes Müller, Chair of the Scientific Committee
• Presentation of the European Archaeological Heritage Prize
• Presentation of the EAA Student Award
• Presentation of the Early Carreer Achievement Prize of the OMF
• Keynote lecture by Henny Piezonka

Untying the bundle: Neolithic cultural traits seen from a global (forager) perspective by Henny Piezonka held on Wednesdey 8 September 2021

In linear models of European prehistory, the Neolithic figures as one of the main periods defined. Underlying dualist concepts rooted in the modern “Global North” backgrounds of most researchers distiguish between an inanimate nature, and human societies at who’s disposal nature is to exploit. In such a mindset, the transition to farming is perceived as a major evolutionary step, often named the ”Neolithic” or ”agricultural revolution”. It is the farming economy that is regarded foundational to everything complex across the socio-political, economic and ideological spheres, from sedentary life ways to hierarchical society structure to hereditary leadership.

In my talk I will dicuss alternative views on socio-economic dynamism, exploring the field from a hunter-gatherer perspective. Concerning “Neolithisation”, hunter-gatherers in a way have remained “people without history”, although it was actually them who were the driving force behind many of the transformations now regarded as “Neolithic” traits. Discussing evidence of technological innovation, economic intensification and socio-political complexity in hunter-gatherer societies from diverse prehistoric, ethnohistoric and contemporary contexts, I suggest that rather than evolutionist, agricentric notions of “Neolithisation” as a global horizon, an different mindset is necessary to really grasp the diversity across the historical spectrum as well as underlying more universal patterns. I will argue for the incorporation of alternative ontologies into archaeological inquiry, questioning agricentric models and striking a blow for the role and agency of hunter-gatherer societies in past and present.