WAC 6

Welcome Note

On behalf of the Organising Committee of the Sixth World Archaeological Congress it is a great pleasure to invite colleagues from across the globe to come to Dublin, Ireland from 29th June to 4th July 2008. This is the first time that the World Archaeological Congress has been held in Ireland and we look forward to making it a truly successful and memorable congress. The spacious campus of University College Dublin close to the city centre will be the main venue for WAC-6. We are planning a varied and engaging thematic programme complemented by a wide range of social events. You will also have the opportunity to see the rich cultural and social life of Dublin as well as to sample Ireland’s outstanding archaeological heritage. Céad míle fáilte (a hundred thousand welcomes!) to you all.

Gabriel Cooney
Academic Secretary, on behalf of the WAC-6 Organising Committee

The deadline for session proposals has now been extended to November 14th 2007 – please see the website to complete the online proposal form.  

Visit The WAC-6 Website for complete details

Venue

The WAC-6 congress will be held on the campus of University College Dublin. This is conveniently located to the south of the city centre and easily accessible. Different types of university accommodation are available on campus and there are a number of hotels in the immediate vicinity of the university.

Themes

WAC-6 presentations can take many forms: working sessions, large plenary panels, position papers, forums, debates, demonstrations and workshops. The programme will be organised into large themes each containing several sessions that relate to the same overall issue.

Congress themes will include:

. Archaeological Practice – a Global Perspective on quality and best practice
. Developing International Geoarchaeology
. Our Changing Planet – Past Human Environments in Modern Contexts
. Indigenous Archaeologies
. Cultural and Intellectual Property
. Home and Away: Archaeologies of Diaspora
. Materialising identities
. The Archaeology of Spirituality
. Living in Island Worlds
. Getting the Message Across – Communicating Archaeology
. Archaeology and the dominant ‘isms’ of the early 21st century
. Digital Archaeology in the 21st century
. Cultural Heritage and Cultural Tourism
. Archaeologists as People
. Archaeologists, War and Conflict: Ethics, Politics and Responsibility
. Issues in Historical Archaeology

Further details and contact information may be found on the WAC-6 web site. Potential session organisers and contributors interested in these themes are asked to contact the named theme organizers. We also invite proposals for congress themes.

Social Events

A lively social programme will be offered to delegates and accompanying persons. There will be a number of post congress tours to important archaeological sites and landscapes. Day tours will include visits to the National Museum of Ireland, Chester Beatty Library and other museums in Dublin. The evening social events will include the welcome reception following the opening ceremony , a state reception and congress dinner and party (optional) on Thursday 3rd July. Optional events will be organised on a number of nights, thus delegates will also be free to sample the unique atmosphere in Dublin’s pubs and restaurants.

Congress Tours

On Wednesday the 2nd of July there will be a number of tours focused on the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site and its wider regional setting. Sites to be visited will include the passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, the Battle of the Boyne (1690) battlefield, Tara and Navan prehistoric complexes and royal sites of early historic Ireland.

Post Congress Tours

For a relatively small island Ireland offers great archaeological and cultural diversity. We have put together three different optional post congress tours, each lasting three days:

. Northern Ireland Tour
. West of Ireland Tour
. South of Ireland Tour

Important Dates

. Proposals for new themes: 30th September 2007
. Proposals for new sessions: 1st November 2007
. Final announcement: beginning of December 2007
. Submission deadline for individual contributed paper and poster abstracts: 22nd February 2008
. Confirmation of accepted papers or posters: 14th March 2008
. Early registration deadline: up to 30th March 2008
. Late registration deadline date: after 30th March 2008
. Non WAC members will pay higher registration rates for WAC-6, so join WAC before registering!

Themes and sessions must be co-organised by at least two people from different nations (see Call for Proposals on our website: http://worldarchaeologicalcongress.org/wac6_redirect.php). If accepted sessions will be assigned to appropriate themes. Please submit all programme proposals to:

WAC-6 Programme Committee, UCD School of Archaeology, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4

Email: wac6programme@ucd.ie

Accommodation

Self catering accommodation in UCD and 3-5 star hotel accommodation will be offered close to UCD and in the city centre at highly competitive rates.

Contact

For information on submission of papers and academic programme, please contact:

WAC-6 Organising Committee, UCD School of Archaeology
Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Tel: +353 1 716 8163
Fax: +353 1 716 1184
Email: wac6programme@ucd.ie

For general information on accommodation, registration, sponsorship and exhibition please contact:

Elva Hickey or Mary Cuthbert, Conference Partners Ltd.,
2nd Floor, Heritage House, Dundrum Office Park, Dublin 14.

Tel: +353 1 296 9391/296 9394
Fax: +353 1 296 8678
Email: wac6@ucd.ie

Financial support will be available on a limited basis to some under-represented groups of participants.

Please see the website for process of application.

WAC-6 Website

Click on cover to download 1st announcement