Book presentation Migration History in World History

15/10/2010 - 14:00

15 October 2010
14.00-17.00 hrs.
Leiden

Book presentation of: Jan Lucassen, Leo Lucassen and Patrick Manning (eds.), Migration History in World History. Multidisciplinary Approaches (Leiden, Boston 2010)

The study of migration is mostly restricted to the past few centuries and to Europe and North America. In the last decade, however, the emergence of world history has enriched this rather narrow perspective by enticing structural comparisons in time and space which stress the crucial role of human mobility in the forging of major social, cultural, political and economic changes in the last millennia. At the same time, it has become clear that the role of migration and the nature of very different types of migration can differ widely through time and space. The collaboration between scholars working in different historical periods and different parts of the world, often using very specific methodologies and sources, however is much wanting. Especially scholars who focus on ‘deep time’, centered on the last 80.000 years or so, tend to be so specialized that the results of their research does not reach main stream migration historians.

In this new volume, published in the series Studies in Global Social History, leading scholars offer state of the art overviews of cutting edge approaches to migration history in the fields of historical linguistics, population genetics, biological anthropology, archaeology and family history.  In the introduction the editors explain the theoretical implications of this multidisciplinary approach for main stream migration history and more broadly for world history in general. This is followed by chapters on biological and genetic approaches (Peter de Knijff and Shomarka Keita), linguistic and archaeological  approaches (Andrew Pawley, Christopher Ehret and Patrick McConvell and anthropological approaches (Jon M. Erlandson and Jan Kok).

During the book presentation scholars from these different disciplines will discuss the publication and the possibilities for cooperation between fields. For further details on the book, please dowload the contents. The book presentation will take place in room 144A of the monumental Kamerlingh Onnes Gebouw (KOG) on Steenschuur 25, Leiden. The presentation will take place from 14:00-17:00. Afterwards drinks will be served. If you wish to attend the book presentation, please register with Aniek Smit (071-527 2656 / a.x.smit@hum.leidenuniv.nl).

For detailed programme information surf to: http://www.research.leiden.edu/research-profiles/global/news/boekpresentatie.html