What can bodies do? Bodies and caves in the Karst Neolithic

Mlekuž, Dimitrij

doi:10.4312/dp.38.8

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…And bodies, far from biological givens, are profoundly affected in the process, as Mlekuž (2011) argues in the context of the Karst Neolithic.…”

Section: Author Informationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Lines Underground: Exploring and Mapping Venezuela's Cave Environment

Pérez

2013

Cartographica

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How do the lines on a map come into being? What stories do they tell? These questions are examined in the context of cave exploration and mapping in Venezuela. Ethnographic analysis focuses on mapping in the field, the translation of notes into final maps, and discourses surrounding these practices. The lines that cave surveyors sketch in field books while traversing underground passages reveal a dialectic between cartographic and exploratory practices. Two key factors shape this dynamic: first, the experience of probing humans ''pushing passages'' with no obvious end in sight, and second, the coordinated and skilled use of tools by explorers working in teams. Here, humans define both the scale and perspective of cartographic representations. But bodies slithering along passages make lines, too. This paper simultaneously considers lines of lead on paper and traces of bodies in the earth as a way to think of exploration and mapping as emergent engagements. This case powerfully illustrates the ontogenic nature of maps, highlighting the (re)production of social relations that continually brings them into being along with the environment that engenders these engagements. Finally, cave exploration and mapping illustrate the limits of our vision and technologies to grasp and order nature. RÉSUMÉComment les lignes sur une carte voient-elles le jour? Quelles histoires racontent-elles? Dans l'article, on examinera ces questions dans le contexte de l'exploration spéléologique et de la représentation cartographique du Venezuela. Cette analyse ethnographique sera axée sur la cartographie sur le terrain, la transposition des notes sur les cartes finales et les discours entourant ces pratiques. Les lignes que les géomètres experts en spéléologie dessinent dans leurs carnets d'observations dans les passages souterrains révèlent une dialectique entre la cartographie et les pratiques d'exploration qui est formée par deux facteurs clés : premièrement, l'expérience des humains qui sondent les « passages » sans en voir la fin; et, deuxièmement, l'utilisation coordonnée d'outils spécialisés par les explorateurs qui travaillent en équipes. Ici, le mot humain définit à la fois l'échelle de grandeur et le point de vue des représentations cartographiques. Toutefois, les corps qui se faufilent dans les passages forment eux aussi des lignes. Dans l'article, on considère à la fois les lignes tracées au crayon sur du papier et les traces laissées par les corps dans la terre afin d'envisager l'exploration et la représentation cartographique comme des engagements naissants. Ce cas illustre superbement la nature ontogénique des cartes et met en relief la (re)production des relations sociales qui les font constamment naître, ainsi que l'environnement qui crée ces engagements. Enfin, l'exploration spéléologique et la cartographie illustrent les limites de notre vision et des technologies permettant de comprendre et d'ordonner la nature.

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“…And bodies, far from biological givens, are profoundly affected in the process, as Mlekuž (2011) argues in the context of the Karst Neolithic.…”

Section: Author Informationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Lines Underground: Exploring and Mapping Venezuela's Cave Environment

Pérez

2013

Cartographica

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“…If we think about Ingold's (2000, 186) definition of the dwelling perspective as relating to something which affects and is affected by its environment, then we can broaden this insight beyond the living non-human animals which form the bulk of Ingold's examples. Both the caves in the examples cited from Bjerck (2012) and Mlekuž (2011) at the start of the paper and the decomposing bodies described by Leach (Leach 2008) affect their environment and are affected by it. Caves act in the way they do, at least in part, because they are constricted spaces.…”

Section: Properties Of Cavesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Between Worlds

2019

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Recent studies of later prehistoric cave use have stressed the affective qualities of these natural spaces. Certain properties of caves, darkness, constriction and their active geomorphology for example, can lead to caves be characterised as active agents, natural places with profound powers. However, is it really plausible to interpret caves, inanimate geological formations, as active agents? This paper will review arguments on social, environmental and material agency. This will include Structuration theory, with its emphasis on human consciousness as a key aspect of agency, Ingold's 'Dwelling perspective', which allows the possibility of non-human agents, the work of Alfred Gell and Actor Network Theory. Two common threads are drawn from these approaches to describe the way that things act. Things act in accordance with the properties they have and in a way that is structured and enabled by their past history. From this perspective caves can be shown to act and therefore caves would have been perceived as having agency.

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Do Caves Have Agency?

Peterson

2018

Between Worlds

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What can bodies do? Bodies and caves in the Karst Neolithic

Cited by 4 publications

References 23 publications

Lines Underground: Exploring and Mapping Venezuela's Cave Environment

Lines Underground: Exploring and Mapping Venezuela's Cave Environment

Between Worlds

Do Caves Have Agency?

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