Feminism, Gender and Archaeology: The Materiality of Wayward Lives

ANTH 255 Class Unique Number TBD Fall 2020 Class location TBD Tuesdays time TBD

Instructor: Dr. Ayana Omilade Flewellen Email: Telephone: Office: Office Hours: Wednesdays 9 am – 12 pm

“Yet how does one recuperate lives entangled with, and impossible to differentiate from, the terrible utterances that condemned them to death, the account books that identified them as units of value, the invoices that claimed them as property, and the banal chronicles that stripped them of human features?” Saidiya Hartman, “Venus In Two Acts”

“What a feminist perspective brings to bear is a critical, theoretically and empirically informed, standpoint on knowledge production” Alice Wylie, “Doing archaeology as a feminist”

“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose:” Zora Neale Hurston, Dust Track on a Road

Course Description:

This seminar considers the history and contemporary practice of feminist archaeology. The call for gender analysis in the field, specifically research aimed at countering androcentric interpretations of the past, followed alongside the rise of feminist movements that were making headway globally. In this course, students will discuss canonical texts that have shaped feminist and gender analysis in the field while exploring how feminist theory has shaped archaeological research design as well as the dissemination of knowledge. Through case studies and examples from various parts of the world, we will explore multiple sources of data, documentary, material, and oral that have come to shape archaeological research and interpretations of the past. We examine how gender intersects with other facets of identity, including age, ethnicity, sexuality, and class. Topics addressed will include intersectional analysis, feminist methodologies, activist scholarship, feminist critiques of science and knowledge production, and racial and cultural politics.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the class, students will be able to trace the intellectual genealogy of feminist archaeology, possessing the ability to identify critical theoretical, methodological, and social challenges within the field. Students will leave this class being able to apply this knowledge to their approach to research.

Feedback Statement:

During this course I will be asking you to give me feedback on your learning in informal as well as formal ways, including through anonymous surveys about how my teaching strategies are helping or hindering your learning. It is very important for me to know your reaction to what we are doing in class, so I ***This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.***

encourage you to respond to these surveys, ensuring that together we can create an environment effective for teaching and learning.

Email Policy: I welcome your email communications. Please allow 48 hours for a response. On the day before an assignment is due, I do not check email after 5pm, so any questions about assignments must be sent by 5pm the day before the due date.

Classroom Policy: Not everyone prefers to be called by their legal name, and not everyone’s preferred pronouns (for example, she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/their, ze/hir/hirs) are obvious to others. In this class, everyone has the right to go by the name and pronouns that they prefer. You may introduce yourself using whatever name you wish to use, and should write your preferred name on all assignments. If your name or pronoun preference changes during the semester, please let me know so that I can refer to you by the correct name and pronouns.

I prefer that my students call me Dr. Flewellen or Professor Flewellen, I prefer the pronouns she/her/hers.

Learning Differences: We all learn in different ways. Please feel free to manage your classroom experience in the way that is best for you. You may make audio recordings of lectures or discussions, take pictures of the board, use a computer or other device to take notes and complete in-class assignments, sit or stand wherever you like in the classroom, bring in food or beverages, leave the classroom when necessary, etc. Students who want transcripts for audio/visual material should let me know as soon as possible so that I can make them. If there is something I can do to create a more comfortable learning environment for you, please never hesitate to ask (for example, “can you speak more slowly/loudly/clearly?” or “can you make the image brighter/more high-contrast?” or “can you ask Jack to wear less cologne in class?”), even if you’re not registered with Disability Services.

Student Conduct: Students are required to adhere to the behavior standards articulated in the University of California Policies Applying to Campus Activities, Organizations, and Students (PACAOS), 100.00 Policy on Student Conduct and Discipline,. The full text of this policy is available through the Student Conduct & Academic Integrity Programs website at http://conduct.ucr.edu. The Standards of Conduct prohibit obstruction or disruption of teaching, research, administration, disciplinary procedures or other University activities. Please visit http://senate.ucr.edu for more details.

Student Special Services: The UCR Student Special Services (SSS) has resources and technologies to help you manage your learning environment. If you have a disability, you are encouraged to register with this office. You may be entitled to accommodations in your courses, such as additional time on tests, staggered homework assignments, or note-taking assistance. This office will give you a letter outlining the accommodations to which you are entitled that you can share with your teachers. Whether or not you choose to register with Student Special Services, I encourage you to talk to me about any accommodations that would improve your experience in the classroom.

Office Location: Costo 125 Telephone: (951) 827-4538 (V/TTY) Website: http://specialservices.ucr.edu/Students+with+Disabilities/

***This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.***

iLearn: Grades, readings;, discussion guides and discussion questions will be posted on iLearn

Grading: Student performance will be graded according to the following criteria and final letter grades will be assigned according to UCR’s grading regulations (https://senate.ucr.edu/bylaws/?action=read_bylaws&code=r§ion=01).

Written Assignments:

• Theory Map, due: Tuesday, DATE at 5:00 p.m. (20 pts) • Annotated Bibliography (based on original research), 10 sources, due: Tuesday, DATE at 5:00 p.m. (25 pts) • Integration of Course Materials and Original Research Paper, 10 pp. due: Tuesday, DATE at 5:00 p.m. (25 pts) • Weekly written responses to readings are required on iLearn (1 pt. each/10 pts)

Participation:

• Two co-led seminar discussions + preparation of theory map and one-page list of discussion questions for class. Be sure to make enough copies for the class and to email a copy to Dr. Flewellen for posting on iLearn 24h prior to class (5 pts. each/10 pts) • Participation in seminar discussion every week is required. (10 points) • Attendance is required; unexcused absences will negatively affect one’s final grade.

Tentative Course Schedule: **This syllabus represents my current plans and objectives. As we go through the semester, those plans may need to change to enhance the class learning opportunity. Such changes, communicated clearly, are not unusual and should be expected.

Required Texts

Zora Neale Hurston, Mules and Men. Harper Perennial, 2008[1935].

Part 1: Introductions

Week 1: General Introductions to Feminist Anthropology

- Lewin, Ellen. Introduction. Feminist Anthropology, 1-38. - Visweswaran, Kamala. Histories of Feminist Ethnography. Annual Review of Anthropology 26 (1997): 591-621. - Mead, Margaret. Coming of Age in Samoa, 17-25, 144-179. Dell, 1968 [1928]. - Zora Neale Hurston, Mules and Men. Week 2: Feminist Archaeology’s Entry

- Gilchrist, Roberta. Gender and Archaeology: Contesting the Past. Routledge, London. (Ch 1&2)

***This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.***

- Conkey, Margaret, and Janet Spector. Archaeology and the Study of Gender. In Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory, edited by M. Schiffer. Vol. 7, pp. 1-38. New York: Academic Press, 1984. - Gero, Joan M. Genderlithics: Women's Roles in Stone Tool Production. In Engendering Archaeology: Women and Prehistory, edited by J.M. Gero and M.W. Conkey, pp. 163-193. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1991. - Watson, Patty Jo and Mary C. Kennedy. The Development of Horticulture in the Eastern Woodlands of North America: Women’s Role. In Engendering Archaeology: Women and Prehistory, edited by J.M. Gero and M.W. Conkey, pp. 255-275. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1991.

Week 3: Feminist Critique within Archaeology:

- Claassen, Cheryl, ed. Exploring Gender through Archaeology: Selected Papers from the 1991 Boone Conference. Prehistory Press, 1992. Pp. 1-11 - Gero, Joan M., and Margaret W. Conkey, eds. “Introduction: Tensions, Pluralities and Engendering archaeology” In Engendering archaeology: women and prehistory. Blackwell Publishing, 1991. pp. 3-30 - Engelstad, Ericka. "Much more than gender." Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 14.3 (2007): 217-234. - Sørensen Marie Louise, and Louise Marie. "Gender archaeology." (2000).

Week 4: Situated knowledges Theory Map Due

- Haraway, Donna. Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective. In Simians, Cyborgs, and Women: The Reinvention of Nature. pp 183-202. (London: Free Association Books and New York: Routledge, 1991. - Wylie, Alison. 2003. Why Standpoint Matters. In Rigueroa, R. and Harding, S., eds., Science and Other Cultures. Routledge, London. - Collins, Patricia Hill. "Learning from the outsider within: The sociological significance of Black feminist thought." Social problems 33, no. 6 (1986) - Hurtado, Aída. "Sitios y lenguas: Chicanas theorize feminisms." Hypatia 13, no. 2 (1998): 134- 161. Part 2 Contemporary Feminist Anthropology and Archaeology:

Week 5: U.S. Based Women of Color Feminisms

- The Combahee River Collective Statement (April 1977). http://www.feministezine.com/feminist/modern/Black-Feminist-Statement.html - Lorde, Audre. Sister Outsider, pp. 66-72, 110-133. Freedom, CA: The Crossing Press, 1984 - Anzaldua, Gloria. La conciencia de la mestiza. In Borderlands/la frontera. Vol. 3. San Francisco: aunt lute books, 1987. Pp 99-114 - Mohanty, Chandra Talpade. "Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses". In Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism, ed. Mohanty, Chandra Talpade, Ann Russo, and Lourdes Torres. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1991.

***This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.***

- Collins, Patricia Hill. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment, pp. 19-40. New York: Routledge. 1991. - Crenshaw, Kimberle. Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color. Stanford Law Review, Vol. 43, No. 6. pp. 1241-1299. 1991.

Week 6 : Indigenous and Latin American Feminisms

- Smith, Andrea. Native American Feminism, Sovereignty and Social Change. In Making Space for Indigenous Feminism, Joyce green (ed.). Fernwood Publishing/Zed Books, 2007. - Speed, Shannon, Aida Hernandez and Lynn Stephen. Introduction. In Dissident Women: Gender, Ethnicity and Cultural Politics in Chiapas. Speed, Hernandez and Stephen, eds. University of Texas Press. 2006. - Jennifer Schirmer, "The Seeking of Truth and the Gendering of Consciousness: The Comadres of El Salvador and the Conavigua Widows of Guatemala" in Sarah A. Radcliffe and Sallie - Telling to Live Latina Feminist Testimonios pages: 1-32 Week 7: Women of Color Feminisms In Archaeology

- Atalay, Sonya (2006). Indigenous Archaeology as Decolonizing Practice. American Indian Quarterly 30(3):280-310. - Conkey, Margaret W. "Dwelling at the margins, action at the intersection? Feminist and indigenous archaeologies, 2005." Archaeologies 1, no. 1 (2005): 9-59. - Colley, Sarah. "Sisters are doing it for themselves?: Gender, feminism and Australian (Aboriginal) archaeology." Gender and Material Culture in Archaeological Perspective (2000): 20-32. - Battle-Baptiste, Whitney. Black feminist archaeology. Routledge, 2017, Ch 1 and 2 - Sterling, Kathleen. "Black feminist theory in prehistory." Archaeologies 11, no. 1 (2015): 93-120.

Week 8: Queer Theory in Archaeology Annotated Bibliography Due

- Blackmore, Chelsea. "Queer theory, archaeology of." The International Encyclopedia of Human Sexuality (2015): 1043-1058. - Dowson, Thomas A. "Why queer archaeology? An introduction." World Archaeology 32, no. 2 (2000): 161-165. - Voss, Barbara L. "Feminisms, queer theories, and the archaeological study of past sexualities." World archaeology32, no. 2 (2000): 180-192. - Prine, Elizabeth. "Searching for third genders: towards a prehistory of domestic space in Middle Missouri villages." In Archaeologies of sexuality (2000): 197-219. - Arjona, Jamie M. "Homesick blues: excavating crooked intimacies in late nineteenth-and early twentieth-century jook joints." Historical Archaeology 51, no. 1 (2017): 43-59. Week 9: Feminist Methodologies

- Joyce, Rosemary. The languages of archaeology: dialogue, narrative, and writing. John Wiley & Sons, 2008. – Ch. 1-2 - Bhattacharyya, Gargi. Tales of dark skinned women: Race, gender and global culture. Routledge, 1998. Ch. 1 ***This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.***

- Watkins, Rachel J. "An Alter (ed) native Perspective on Historical Bioarchaeology." Historical Archaeology 54, no. 1 (2020): 17-33. - Jacqui M. Alexander, Pedagogies of Crossing: Meditations on Feminism, Sexual Politics, Memory, and the Sacred. Duke University Press, 2006. – Ch. 6 - Hartmann, Saidiya. "Venus in Two Acts." Small Axe 26 (2008) - Agbe-Davies, Anna S., Jillian E. Galle, Mark W. Hauser, and Fraser D. Neiman. 2014 "Teaching with digital archaeological data: A research archive in the university classroom." Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 21, no. 4 (2014): 837-861. Week 10 Disciplinary Culture Final Paper Due

- Berry, Maya J., Claudia Chávez Argüelles, Shanya Cordis, Sarah Ihmoud, and Elizabeth Velásquez Estrada. "Toward a fugitive anthropology: Gender, race, and violence in the field." Cultural Anthropology 32, no. 4 (2017): 537-565. - Moser, Stephanie (2007). On Disciplinary Culture: Archaeology as Fieldwork and Its Gendered Associations. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 14(3):235-263. - Lukose, Ritty. "Decolonizing Feminism in the# MeToo Era." The Cambridge Journal of Anthropology 36, no. 2 (2018): 34-52. - Markowitz, Ariana. "The better to break and bleed with: Research, violence, and trauma." Geopolitics (2019): 1-24.

***This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.***