Presentation Dirk van Miert, ‘Reassembling the Republic of Letters, 1400-1800’, XXXVIII Sunbelt Conference

Dirk van Miert will speak at the XXXVIIIth International Sunbelt Social Network Conference Utrecht from 26 June to 1 July 2018 about: ‘Reassembling the Republic of Letters, 1400-1800’.

Organized session at the XXVIII Sunbelt Conference, June 26-July 1, 2018 at Utrecht University

‘Challenges in archaeological and historical network analysis’

Over the last decades, network analysis has made its way from a fringe theory to an established methodology in archaeological and historical research that goes beyond a purely metaphorical use of the network term. A substantial number of studies on different topics and periods have shown that network theories and methods can be fruitfully applied to selected bodies of historical and archaeological sources. Yet, in many of these initial studies, important methodological concerns regarding the underlying sources, missing data, data standardization and representation of networks in space and time have not been adequately acknowledged and sometimes even completely neglected.

The session includes contributions from researchers applying methods of formal network analysis in archaeological or historical research. A special emphasis of the session will be on the unique challenges that arise in the domain-specific application of these research methods. We welcome submissions on any period, geographical area or topic.