~~ Women
and Men in Prehistory ~~
Soc/Anth 2400
Spring 2003
Room: SH 368
MW
Professor: Dr. Michael L.
Galaty (galatml@millsaps.edu)
Office: SH 343
Phone: Ext. 1387
Office Hours: MWF
Class Description
Class Policies
Required Readings
Assignments
Course Schedule
The goal of this course is to understand the problems and
potential of gender in archaeological research and explore and critically
evaluate recent efforts to incorporate questions about sexual division of
labor, social constructions of gender, and feminist political perspectives
into archaeology. We must deal simultaneously
with two kinds of issues: 1) what we
know and what we don’t know, what we can and what we can’t learn about women
and men and the ideas of male and female in prehistory, and 2) how archaeologists
develop and use their array of methods and theories to learn about the past
and how politics influence this process. Course
readings will include archaeological and ethnographic case studies from the
Old and
We will explore a broad spectrum of
gender-related topics in archaeology. First,
we will examine the relationship between changing goals and methods of archaeology
and the introduction of gender-related research. We also will review the initial feminist critique
of the archaeological literature, as well as the early debates about the origins
of gender inequality, which questioned the idea of universal and innate subordination
of women in the past. The remainder
of the course will focus on recent attempts to engender the past.
Most of the readings provide examples of the many ways gender may be
included as a variable in archaeological research.
The due dates provided below are deadlines
and not guidelines. All papers and
projects must be turned in no later than the assigned due date. Those given to me late, should I choose to accept
them, will be downgraded by one half letter grade per day overdue. You cannot make up an exam without a medical
excuse or other information that makes it clear you had a valid reason for
missing. No work will be accepted following
the final exam date. Furthermore, tardiness
is disruptive and will not be tolerated. Late arrival will count against your class participation
grade. Should you choose to sleep in
class, I will wake you up and ask that you leave.
You have all pledged to abide by the
Millsaps Honor Code. I expect that
you will respect the Code, especially with regard to issues of plagiarism. During the course of the semester, as you work
on various writing assignments, if you have any questions at all about plagiarism,
come talk to me. Better to be safe
than sorry.
Note that if you are challenged with
a learning disability it is your responsibility to register as such with Student
Services and to inform me of any allowances granted by the college, especially
in terms of test-taking.
To participate effectively in class,
you must do all of the reading assignments.
Keep up with your reading. In
fact, read ahead if possible and take detailed notes. Information from the texts and articles, as
well as from lecture and discussion, is all fair game when it comes to exams.
A portion of your grade in this course
will come from class participation, so you must regularly attend. Be prepared for class discussions. Many anthropological and archaeological concepts
are best appreciated and understood through discussion and debate, so I will
actively engage you with questions during class time. As a result, a portion of your final grade (see
below) will be based on attendance. You
will be allowed two unexcused absences for the semester before your grade
begins to suffer.
Finally, if we use terminology during
class that you do not understand, be sure to ask for clarification. My email address has been provided above.
Feel free throughout the course of the semester to contact me via email
anytime you need to. If something is unclear to you in the reading
or if you have a comment or suggestion, email.
I check it almost every day. You
should also feel free to drop by my office or make an appointment to meet
with me, if necessary.
Reader in Gender Archaeology, edited by Kelley Hays-Gilpin and David
S. Whitley,
Women of the
Anthony, D. (1995) Nazi
and eco-feminist prehistories: ideology and empiricism in Indo-European archaeology.
In Nationalism, Politics, and the Practice of
Archaeology edited by P. Kohl and C. Fawcett.
Bentley, G. (1996) How
did prehistoric women bear “Man the Hunter”? Reconstructing fertility from the archaeological
record. In Gender and Archaeology edited by R. Wright.
Boesch, C. and H.
Boesch. (1983) Optimisation
of nut-cracking with natural hammers by wild chimpanzees.
Behaviour 83: 256-286.
Brandt, S. and K.
Weedman. (2002) Woman the toolmaker. Archaeology
Sep/Oct: 50-53.
Brumbach, H.J. and
R. Jarvenpa. (1997) Woman the hunter: ethnoarchaeological lessons
from Chipewyan life-cycle dynamics. In
Women in Prehistory,
Brumfield, E. (1996) Figurines
and the Aztec state: testing the effectiveness of ideological domination.
In Gender and Archaeology edited by R. Wright.
Conkey, M. (1997) Mobilizing
ideologies: Paleolithic “art,” gender trouble, and thinking about alternatives.
In Women in Human Evolution edited by L. Hager.
Costin, C.L. (1996) Exploring
the relationship between gender and craft in complex societies: methodological
and theoretical issues of gender attribution. In Gender
and Archaeology edited by R. Wright.
Epstein,
C. (2003) Similarity and difference: The sociology of
gender difference. In The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions
of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, and Sexual Orientation (Third Edition),
edited by K. Rosenblum and T. Travis.
Faust, A. (2002) Burnished
pottery and gender hierarchy in Iron Age Israelite society.
Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology 15(1): 53-73.
Fedigan, L. (1997) Is
primatology a feminist science? In
Women in Human Evolution, edited
by L. Hager.
Feldman, M. (2002) Ambiguous
identities: the ‘marriage’ vase of Niqmaddu II and the elusive Egyptian princess.
Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology 15(1): 75-99.
Hodder,
Jackson, T. (1991) Pounding
acorn: women’s production as social and economic focus. In Engendering
Archaeology: Women and Prehistory edited by J. Gero and M. Conkey.
McGaw, J. (1996) Reconceiving
technology: why feminine technologies matter. In Gender
and Archaeology edited by R. Wright.
McElvaine, R. (2000). Eve’s
Seed: Biology, the Sexes and the Course of History.
Ortner, S. (1999) [1974]
Is female to male as nature is to culture? In Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History
(Second Edition), edited by R. McGee and R. Warms.
Pollock, S. (1991) Women
in a men’s world: images of Sumerian women. In Engendering
Archaeology: Women and Prehistory edited by J. Gero and M. Conkey.
Slocum,
S. (1999) [1975]
Woman the gatherer: male bias in anthropology.
In Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History
(Second Edition), edited by R. McGee and R. Warms.
Williams, W. (2003) The
Berdache tradition. In The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions
of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, and Sexual Orientation (Third Edition),
edited by K. Rosenblum and T. Travis.
Wrangham, R. and D.
Peterson (1996) Demonic
Males: Apes and the Origins of Human Violence.
Wright,
P. (1993) Variations
in male-female dominance and offspring care in non-human primates.
In Sex and Gender Hierarchies, edited by B. Miller.
Wright,
R. (1996) Technology,
gender, and class: worlds of difference in Ur III Mesopotamia.
In Gender and Archaeology edited by R. Wright.
Class
preparation and participation, including attendance: 40 points (or 11% of 360 total possible points).
Two
homework assignments: 4 pages each,
40 points a piece, 80 points total (or 22% of grand total). One involves
the content analysis of museum exhibits and print resources for the general
public, and how they “teach” gender in the past to children and adults. The other will require students to read an ethnography
(Women of the Forest), imagine described
locales as archaeological sites, and test ideas about how to recognize gendered
space, tasks, and socialization from archaeological remains.
Mid-Semester
Exam. This essay exam will test you
on concepts and issues surrounding our study of gender in prehistory: approx. 3 pages, 60 points (17%).
Final
Exam. A comprehensive examination covering
concepts and issues introduced throughout the semester, and requiring command
of the various particular case-studies discussed: approx. 4 pages, 80 points (22%).
Research
Paper. You will be required to write
a 6-8 page research paper investigating the life and work of a female archaeologist.
How was her research affected by her sex, gender, and/or sexual orientation?: 100 points (28%).
Note
that we will talk in more detail about each of these assignments as they approach.
Week One (Jan 13,15). Terms and Issues: Defining Sex, Gender, and
Sexuality
Reading Assignment: Syllabus; Reader:
Week Two (Jan 20,22). Archaeological Theory and the Feminist Critique
Reading Assignment: Reader: Ch. 2-4
Week Three (Jan 27,29). Origins: Primate Analogies
Reading Assignment: Reserves: Fedigan,
Wright, Boesch and Boesch
Film: Among the Wild Chimpanzees
Week Four (Feb 3,5). Origins: Hominid Evolution
Reading Assignment: Reader: Ch 14;
Reserves: Conkey, Anthony
Week Six (Feb 17,19). Sex and Gender in Hunter-Gatherer Societies
Week Seven (Feb 24,26). Sexual Divisions of Labor
Reading Assignment: Reader: Ch. 8-10;
Reserves: Brandt and Weedman
Week Eight (Mar 3,5). Gender Construction: Structuralist Approaches
Week Ten (Mar 17,19). Gender and Craft Specialization
Reading Assignment: Reader:
Film:
Week Eleven (Mar 24,26). Gendered Ritual Practice
Reading Assignment: Reader:
Weeks Twelve-Thirteen
(Mar 31, Apr 2,4). Ancient Girl Power!?
Reading Assignment: Reader: Ch. 16-18; Reserves: Brumfiel, Feldman,
Pollock
NOTE: You should all plan to attend the “Nova Series”
address by Jane Goodall, the evening of Tuesday, April 8.
Week Fourteen (Apr
14,16). Women
of the
Week Fifteen (Apr
21,23). What does the future hold?
Reading Assignment: Reader: Ch. 19-21;
Reserves: McElvaine
Final Exam: Monday, April 28th,