SHA 2022 Conference

Dear Colleagues,

When we decided to hold the 2022 SHA conference in Philadelphia, we did not anticipate a global pandemic.  Over the past three years, as our planning moved forward, the pandemic grew and receded. Last spring, the arrival of vaccines and decline of the virus gave us the confidence that we would be able to meet normally, in person, in Philadelphia and enjoy the scholarship and camaraderie that exemplify the Society for Historical Archaeology. We revisited this decision at the June board meeting, and met again in early September to make a final decision about the conference. Today, we find ourselves in an incredibly challenging position. Many of you have expressed concerns about the wisdom of meeting in person as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly across the nation.  We share your concerns.  We also recognize that some government agencies are restricting travel, and international travel is especially challenging.

At the same time, the Society values face to face interactions between colleagues and has contractual commitments with venues, hotels, caterers, historic sites and tour bus companies which, barring the closure of public events by the City of Philadelphia, we must honor. One suggestion has been that we move the conference online.  Given the scale of the conference, with several hundred papers in concurrent sessions, and fewer than seven days until the conference begins, this is not a viable option, nor is it fair to the many members who plan to attend in person. 

The in-person conference will continue with strict Covid precautions and policies akin to those employed by universities and other large organizations. Given the current situation, however, we invite those of you who are scheduled to present, and choose not to come to Philadelphia, to arrange for your paper to be read in absentia or to pre-record it and send it to your session chair to share at the conference. 

Moving forward, the Society for Historical Archaeology is committed to exploring virtual options that would provide greater access to the scholarly portions of our annual conference. Indeed, most of our committee meetings are already being held online. We want to create a welcoming, accessible environment for all individuals interested in historical archaeology and remain committed to making the difficult decisions needed to navigate these challenging times.

Barbara Heath, SHA President
Richard Veit, SHA 2022 Conference Co-Chair
Christopher Matthews, SHA 2022 Conference Co-Chair