The HNR community is pleased to share the Call for Paper for the workshop “Theorising Networks. Relational Frameworks in Archaeology and History” supported by the ANEE+ Interdisciplinary Research Network.
The workshop will be held in Helsinki on March 18–19, 2027. The deadline for paper submissions is November 16, 2026.
The call:
This workshop builds on a previous meeting held in Helsinki in 2021 (Lahelma, Dawson & Micale 2025), which highlighted the diversity of network applications and their potential for explaining interaction and connectivity. It moves further by addressing a critical need to rethink the theoretical foundations and directions of network analysis, reshaping how the past is conceptualised and interpreted through its application to the archaeological and historical record.
Over the past two decades, network thinking has become a central framework for investigating cultural interaction in the ancient world. However, its rapid adoption has often been “overly method-driven” (Brughmans & Peeples 2023: 264). This workshop addresses this gap by foregrounding the theoretical and epistemological implications of network approaches. It moves beyond treating networks as purely analytical tools and positions them instead as a framework for rethinking the ancient world as fundamentally relational: an interconnected web of people, objects, animals, places, practices, and ideas (Terrell, Golitko, Dawson & Kissel 2023).
In particular, the workshop seeks to:
- Explore the implications of the “relational turn” in archaeology and history through the lens of networks
- Re-evaluate network analysis as a conceptual framework, rather than solely as a methodological tool
- Encourage interdisciplinary engagement across network science, archaeology, history, and related fields, and identify future research directions in the study of cultural interaction.
Submit your abstract (300 words) to theorisingnetworks@gmail.com by 16th November 2026. The abstract should explain how your proposed paper addresses one of the three key points outlined above. We envisage a small workshop with a maximum of fifteen speakers. Acceptance notifications are expected by 15th December 2026.
Event dates: 18-19 March 2027
Venue: The HCAS Common Room, University of Helsinki
Funding: The workshop is supported by the ANEE+ Interdisciplinary Research Network, with funding from the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Humanities. Limited support for travel and accommodation in Helsinki will be provided to selected speakers who cannot cover these costs themselves. Please indicate in your email if you would like to be considered for financial support.
Scientific committee: Helen Dawson (FU Berlin), Antti Lahelma (University of Helsinki) and Lena Tambs (University of Helsinki)
References:
Lahelma, A., Dawson, H., and Micale, M.G. 2025. “Network Perspectives in the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East and Eastern Mediterranean.” Open Archaeology, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 20250069. https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2025-0069Opens in a new tab
Brughmans, T. and Peeples, M.A. 2023. Network Science in Archaeology. Cambridge University Press
Terrell, J., Golitko, M., Dawson, H., and Kissel, M. 2023. Modeling the Past: Archaeology, History, and Dynamic Networks (1st ed.). Berghahn Books
For further details: Link to the call
