Welcome to assemblage 9!
While initially promised for the opening volleys of TAG 2005, an overly ambitious editorial schedule got the better of us. But that said, better late than never! In this issue, assemblage takes a decidedly provocative tone interrogating aspects of archaeological discourse which tend to go unquestioned. Ranging from questions of contemporary religion to cannibalism and from debates surrounding human origins to the prehistoric Japanese archipelago, our authors invite you to step back and reconsider some of those more tired assumptions.
Maintaining the more streamlined and digestible format introduced in issue 7, assemblage 9 continues the mandate established by its founders ten years ago: publishing a varied and inclusive format, concentrating on articles by graduate students but also pieces by more established academics and professionals. Articles in assemblage speak to a world wide audience and receive exposure that traditional paper bound journals could only dream of.
This issue has seen the arrival of a number of new faces to the editorial staff including Jo Bending, Ana Jorge, Christina Tsoraki and Becky Wragg Sykes who have all taken lead roles in the production of various aspects of the present issue. However, much of the current team are moving on. When new editors are in place, the next issue of assemblage will be published drawing on the proceedings of the recent student colloquium on ‘Material Culture Studies in the Historical Period’ that took place in Sheffield this spring. Finally, a word of acknowledgment, we are particularly grateful to Rob Craigie for his technical assistance in getting issue 9 online - without which, it would not have seen the light of day.
Hope you enjoy it.
Jeff Oliver
The Editors
Jeff Oliver is a PhD student at the Department of Archaeology,
University of Sheffield. He has worked in archaeology in
British Columbia, Canada, and is interested in the archaeology
and anthropology of 'natural' places. His research is on the history
and perception of landscape in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia. Jointly with Tim Neal he is
researching culturally modified trees in the contemporary British landscape.
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