Recovering a substantive landscape of mobility

This special issue explores the complex question: What does it mean to talk about identity in the context of subjects shaped by mobility, and what insights can archaeology provide that other fields may overlook? This inquiry lies at the heart of both archaeology and historical archaeology, which have long grappled with the diverse mobilities and identities reflected in the archaeological record. As this issue demonstrates, these studies are more than just academic exercises—they respond to contemporary global debates on migration, where material evidence is often politicized to construct “others.” The papers demonstrate how mobility, enacted across various scales, reshapes geographies and reveals the frictions experienced by past subjects. This approach moves beyond mere recovery of individual experiences to interrogate the ideological structures that legitimize social hierarchies. By focusing on the variety of past human mobilities and their material legacies, the authors suggest that archaeology can contribute significantly to understanding migration as a complex driver of human history. Ultimately, this collection highlights the need to explore how these intellectual practices intersect with global inequalities in wealth and risk-free mobility between the global north and south.