Shanghai Archaeology Forum

Shanghai Archaeology Forum
Name	Shanghai Archaeology Forum
Established	2007
Frequency	biennial
Location	Shanghai
Discipline	Archaeology

Shanghai Archaeology Forum

The Shanghai Archaeology Forum is an international biennial conference series held in Shanghai that convenes archaeologists, historians, museum professionals, and heritage specialists to discuss archaeological research, heritage management, and cultural exchange. The Forum brings together participants from institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Shanghai Museum, and international organizations including the UNESCO, International Council on Monuments and Sites, and the International Union for Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences. The event fosters collaboration among scholars associated with projects at sites like Anyang, Sanxingdui, Banpo, Zhoukoudian, and Yinxu.

Overview

The Forum functions as a platform linking major institutions such as the British Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Louvre, State Hermitage Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art with regional centers including the Shandong University, Nanjing University, Sichuan University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, and Sun Yat-sen University. Speakers and delegates often represent research programs from the Institute of Archaeology (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Shanghai Archaeological Research Institute, National Museum of China, and international departments like the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and the French National Centre for Scientific Research. The Forum's reach extends to collaborative projects at locations such as Zhouyuan, Erlitou, Taosi, Longshan culture sites, and Liangzhu.

History and Development

Established in 2007 under the auspices of municipal entities including the Shanghai Municipal Government and institutions such as Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, the Forum developed through partnerships with universities such as University of Oxford, Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, and Columbia University. Early editions emphasized cross-regional cooperation among researchers working at Gansu Provincial Institute of Archaeology, Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Shaanxi History Museum, and international teams from University of Tokyo, Seoul National University, Australian National University, and University of California, Berkeley. Over successive sessions the Forum expanded themes influenced by discoveries at Sanxingdui, by methodological advances from groups at the British Institute in Eastern Africa, and by technological contributions from the Max Planck Institute and Wuhan University.

Objectives and Themes

Primary objectives include promoting dialogue among institutions such as the International Council on Monuments and Sites, ICOM, World Monuments Fund, and regional museums like the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology; facilitating publication through presses such as Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press; and advancing methods from laboratories at Peking University's Key Laboratory for Archaeology and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Common themes draw on case studies from Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall to excavations at Mogao Caves, addressing topics explored by scholars affiliated with Princeton University, Yale University, University of Chicago, Leiden University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Major Conferences and Proceedings

Sessions have featured keynote presentations by researchers from institutions like Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, British Museum, National Gallery of Australia, Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Proceedings are typically published with contributors from universities such as Fudan University, Zhejiang University, Jilin University, Central South University, Henan University, and international collaborators from Leiden University, University of Sydney, University of Copenhagen, Freie Universität Berlin, and University College London. Notable topics have included comparative analyses of material culture from Korea University excavations, radiocarbon studies from teams at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and paleoenvironmental reconstructions informed by research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Organizational Structure and Governance

The Forum is coordinated by committees comprising representatives from municipal and national bodies such as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China, Shanghai Municipal Cultural Affairs Bureau, Shanghai Museum, and academic partners including Peking University, Fudan University, Tsinghua University, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Advisory boards have included scholars linked with University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Smithsonian Institution, and the British Museum. Funding and sponsorship have been provided by entities such as the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, private foundations like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and corporate partners with interests in cultural heritage.

Key Contributions and Impact

The Forum has facilitated dissemination of major findings from excavations at Sanxingdui, Erlitou, Liangzhu, and Anyang, influencing museum exhibitions at the Shanghai Museum, the National Museum of China, the Palace Museum (Forbidden City), and the British Museum. It has promoted methodological transfer involving archaeometric laboratories at Wuhan University, Peking University, and international centers such as the Max Planck Institute, Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, and Leuven Isotopic Centre. Collaborative projects seeded at the Forum have linked teams working on heritage conservation at Dunhuang Research Academy, underwater archaeology at National Institute of Underwater Archaeology (Romania), and comparative studies with scholars from Korean National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Japanese Archaeological Association.

Criticism and Controversies

Critiques have addressed issues raised by commentators from institutions like Human Rights Watch, scholars associated with University of Bristol, Australian National University, and independent researchers from Cornell University and SOAS University of London concerning access to data from excavations at sites such as Sanxingdui and Yinxu. Debates have involved publication practices debated by editors at Cambridge University Press and Routledge, questions about artifact repatriation discussed with the British Museum and national museums, and discussions about funding transparency involving foundations like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and governmental bodies.

Category:Archaeology conferences