Public Lecture Series by the ROOTS/JMA-Chairholders: First-rate visiting professors from the USA and Norway at Kiel University

In the winter semester 2021/2022, two internationally renowned experts are the chairholders of the “ROOTS/Johanna-Mestorf-Academy (JMA)-Chairs” at Kiel University. With their lectures on the 1^st and the 15^th of November, 2021, Tim Kohler (Washington University in Pullman, USA) and Charlotte Brysting Damm (Department of Archaeology, History, Religious Studies and Theology at the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø) will open the new “Public Lecture Series” of the ROOTS/JMA-Chairs.

The ROOTS/JMA-Chairs are short-term guest professorships, which are occupied by leading international experts. Located at the Johanna Mestorf Academy, the chairholders provide insights into their research and contribute to the interdisciplinary approach of the Excellence Cluster ROOTS – Social, Environmental and Cultural Connectivity in Past Societies.

“This new lecture series presents innovative research perspectives in order to reveal the interwovenness of social, ecological and cultural phenomena of the past and to highlight the ‘roots’ of current social and ecological challenges and crises,” states Professor Johannes Müller, archaeologist and speaker of the Excellence Cluster ROOTS. “It is expected that particularly young researchers will strongly benefit from such a collaborative research context, since in addition to their expertise and innovative research approaches, the JMA chairholders also bring their networks with them to Kiel,” adds Dr. Andrea Ricci, scientific coordinator of the ROOTS Cluster of Excellence.

Tim Kohler will kick off the lecture series for experts and the interested public on 1 November 2021 at 16:15 p.m. with his lecture entitled: “Can We Identify Early Warning Signs of Collapse or Transformation in Social Systems? Some Affirmative Evidence from Pueblo Societies”. Charlotte Damm will follow on 15 November 2021 at 16:15 p.m. with her lecture about “Scales of Interaction. Quantity and Quality of Encounters amongst Northern Foragers”.

The lecture series will be held in English. 3G proof must be provided on site. Mask-wearing is mandatory during the entire event.

• What: ROOTS/JMA-Chair Lecture Series
• When: 1 November and 15 November 2021, both beginning at 16:15 p.m.
• Where: Klaus-Murmann-Hörsaal, Leibnizstr. 1, 24118 Kiel