Nicholas Ames, Doctoral Student, Department of Anthropology had the opportunity to present this preliminary analysis at the national archaeological conference put on by the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) in Washington, D.C. thanks to a Graduate Professional Development Grant from the Nanovic Institute for European Studies in 2015-2016. The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded Nicholas a Graduate Research Fellowship in 2017.
"Presenting this research to a professional audience was both exhilarating and terrifying, with the standard doubts plaguing my thoughts as to the possible reception of my ideas as the presentation grew nearer. But with the constructive guidance of my advisor Dr. Ian Kuijt to 'just tell a story of the people and their place,' I found myself standing in front of a crowded room conveying a narrative of people’s experience of place-ness, and the importance of dynamism in characterizing community life, with this example of rural Ireland as a simple case study into the possibilities this approach affords. The talk was received well, and left me inspired to continue this pursuit of visualizing complexity through innovative means."
Nicholas' report has a number of figures. A copy of his full report can be downloaded here.