Introduction: Archaeological approaches toward the concept and practice of “coexistence”

Sessions and papers presented at the congress tackled a wide range of questions, such as how different groups of people can, or cannot, coexist in various situations and how people interact with their environment in a sustainable or unsustainable manner. Although this endeavor is still at its early stage and cannot provide us with a clear answer, we believe it is worthwhile to look at what kinds of coexistence archaeology can reconstruct, discuss, and propose. It will give us a foundation to stand on when we think about the complex nature of coexistence in the modern world.