Children, Emotions, and Relations

The organisers invite participants to explore the intersection of childhood, emotions, attachments, and social relationships to uncover how children in past societies experienced and influenced their worlds. Childhood in both ancient and recent past was shaped by complex emotional landscapes and relational dynamics, leaving traces in the archaeological and historical record, such as toys, burial sites, household artefacts, and various historical sources. We encourage presentations or posters to consider how care and attachments, or the lack thereof, played a role in the well-being of children. We also warmly welcome contributions that are not directly tied to the study of emotional and other relationships.

Confirmed keynote speaker: Kaisa Vehkalahti (University of Jyväskylä, Finland)

Please submit an abstract for a podium or poster presentation (max 200 words) to organiser Dr. Sanna Lipkin (sanna.lipkin@oulu.fi) by 15th February 2025.

Registration opens in March 2026.

Information about Oulu:

Oulu is easily reachable by a one-hour flight from Helsinki. The train ride from the Helsinki Airport takes about 6 hours. We recommend staying at a hotel in the city centre; a selection of hotels can be found here: https://visitoulu.fi/en/hotels/. The university is approximately a 15-minute bus ride north of the city centre. Oulu will be the European Capital of Culture in 2026 (https://oulu2026.eu/en/).

Host Department: Archaeology, University of Oulu