Media for Movement and Making the World: Exploring Materials and Identity in the Mesolithic of the Northern Irish Sea Basin

Hannah Cobb

Archaeology, School of Arts, Histories and Cultures, University of Manchester, M13 9PL. Email: Hannah.Cobb@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk

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This paper provides an account of the author's current doctoral research into the Mesolithic period in the northern Irish Sea basin and western Scotland. It explores the extent to which modern understandings of the world and modern geo-political boundaries have been responsible for shaping studies of the period in the area and questions how such interpretations may be re-evaluated. In doing so this paper outlines a series of alternative approaches to understanding hunter gatherer identity, exploring how identity intersects with sensual material engagements and understandings of place. It outlines a way to explore such elements in practice, and presents some initial interpretations of the material that have arisen from the study. This in turn suggests that such an approach may be potentially significant in providing a more detailed, socially situated understanding of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and the changes that such populations underwent during the transition to farming in the northern Irish Sea basin.

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