3 november 2025

The last edition of SOJA (Symposium Onderzoek Jonge Archeologen) occurred 5 years ago, at the start of COVID-19. After this, it died out and moved to the margins, just a memory for those who knew about it. This year, a mixed group of students (PhDs, Master's, and Research Master's students) intends to revive it, incorporating the history of its marginality in the theme. We believe it is important to provide early-career academics and students with opportunities where they can introduce and present their research, cultivating and encouraging important skills needed for their future careers. Additionally, for students who need to attend ARCHON conferences, SoYA offers the opportunity to gain credits. We have podium presentations and poster presentation slots, and the symposium is set to take place on the 10th of April 2026 at the Leiden University Faculty of Archaeology in Leiden, the Netherlands.

Theme: The Archaeology of the Margins

• Includes new, different, and underutilized techniques or methodologies.

• Encompasses research on groups, periods, and regions that are often marginalized, overlooked, or understudied.
• Involves research in remote or inaccessible locations, such as:
  • Geographically remote areas
  • Generally hostile environments requiring adaptive strategies to ensure feasibility (e.g., deserts, underwater archaeology, caves)

Additionally, the symposium aims to provide a space for young archaeologists on the margins of academia itself; for example, first-generation students, students part of a minority group (ethnic, religious, gender identity, sexuality, disabilities, etc.), or anything in between. This enriches the discipline by sharing experiences that differ from the mainstream offering proactive spaces to promote and enact diversity and understanding within academia.

The current committee will select the speakers for the event, and anyone can sign up. The criteria and format for the paper are stated on the submission page.

The paper submission deadline is Sunday, November 30, 2025. The committee will read the submissions, and a decision will follow no later than December 21, 2025. This will provide the speakers and poster presenters with ample time to prepare before the symposium date (10th of April, 2026).

The symposium will take place at the Leiden University Faculty of Archaeology, Einsteinweg 2 Leiden. The main language for the symposium will be English, though there will be a possibility for Dutch presentations. A registration fee will be required: €7.50 for BA and MA students, and €12.50 for postgrads. 

For additional questions, please send an email to sojacommissie@gmail.com.