Topic: Mobility & Household in the Mediterranean and West Asian Area of Connectivity (10th-4th c. BCE)

1st Workshop Meeting Dates: Sept. 21-23, 2021 (10am-1:30pm EST)

Workshop Leaders/Volume Editors: Eric Trinka & Melanie Wasmuth

The leaders of the workgroup Mobility in the Mediterranean and West Asian Area of Connectivity (10th-4th c. BCE), Melanie Wasmuth and Eric Trinka, are planning a multivolume project and are currently soliciting interested contributors for the inaugural volume “Mobility & Household.” 

The volume will address mobility and the household at the conceptual level and through case studies. We welcome scholars who have theoretical, textual, iconographic and/or material cultural expertise in mobility and migration, household structures and life cycles, household economics and transportation, and household security. 

For this first volume, seminar participants will present and discuss evidence regarding

• the formation of households as mobility-centered social enterprises 
• social networks that facilitate mobility and household cultures of mobility that emerge in specific contexts
• movements of commodities, animals, people, and ideas within and beyond the household
• household catalysts of movement for different households and household members 
• movement as an adaptive strategy of the household and the place of nonmovers in mobility frameworks
• financial and legal aspects of mobility at the household level 
• patterns of homebuilding and placemaking among mobile persons
• continuity of households across space and time

The first workgroup will convene via Zoom September 21-23, 2021 from 10am-1:30pm EST with a mid-session break each day. The workgroup will gather for two further editorial meetings over the course of 18 months. Participants are expected to contribute specific sources and to contextualize them within the discussion. 

Participation is free of charge but limited in capacity based on fit. Interested persons should complete the form indicating their interest by July 31. 

Questions can be addressed to the volume editors, Eric Trinka (trinkaem@jmu.edu) and Melanie Wasmuth (m.wasmuth@gmx.net).