858 - Past crisis in the Americas: environment and socio-cultural process

16.07.2012 | 17:30 - 19:30
17.07.2012 | 17:30 - 19:30

Coordinator 1: Arnauld, Charlotte (CNRS-Université de Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne , Nanterre, France / Frankreich)
Coordinator 2: Eckhout, Peter (Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium / Belgien)

Until recently, archaeology and ethnohistory have given emphasis on episodes of so-called collapses in the cultural sequences of prehispanic societies during the last two millenia on the American continent. Research in progress in Amazonia, the Andes, Mesoamerica, also the Arctic, opens new perspectives on what should be better approached as “rapid change” and the development of resilient strategies. In a few case studies, reappraisal of field data and ethnohistorical documents leads to construct chronological sequences articulating environmental events with socio-political processes, as well as the corresponding emic histories recorded by local authorities. One central issue focuses upon the intentional role of elites at distinct spatial and social scales in the reorganization of entities, and the long-term “costs” of their politics.

Palabras claves: collapse, rapid change, resilience, environment