Biographies of Enclosure in Global Context

Cross-culturally, naturally occurring hilltops, terraces, and other prominent locations have been the focus for long-lived and/or recurrent human activity. These places have frequently been enclosed with ditches, ramparts and palisades, creating culturally-prescribed arenas for human action. The practice of enclosure frequently forms just one element in the complex biographies of such places and is not always necessarily related to defence. At various points in their biographies, such places might be social and/or political centres, elite residences, centres of exchange, liminal zones where communication could be made with the gods, spirits or ancestors, funerary sites, or places of refuge. Despite the potential interpretive gains to be derived from cross-cultural analysis of the biographies of enclosed places, attempts to critically compare sites in different temporal and geographical contexts have been generally lacking. This session will address this lacuna, drawing on research from several parts of the world. Papers will focus on biographical approaches, the agency of natural places, and the role of enclosure in materialising social memory and identity.