Gender, Feminism, and Sexuality in Archaeological Studies

Abstract

The archaeology of gender and feminist archaeology critique essentialist representations of gender, sex, and sexuality, not only in our interpretations of the past, but also in the practice of archaeology today, and thus challenge traditional constructions of archaeological knowledge and the role of archaeology in present day society. Material culture from the past is used to study how understandings of gender and sexuality were constructed, maintained, changed, negotiated and/or resisted through social relations, roles and ideologies. In addition feminist archaeology is concerned with contemporary practice (fieldwork, analysis, and workplace issues), pedagogy, cultural heritage management, the presentation of the past, and working with local communities.