FInal Exam Flashcards
(95 cards)
Processual Archaeology
Focusing on whole societies, (“the forest”)
Types of Identity
Age Sex Race Class Religion Ethnicity Profession
Case Study: Moundbuilders
In the south of American, Thomas Jefferson tried to learn out the origins of them.
Case Study: African burial ground new york
Archaeology brings out racial tensions
– Most archaeologists are white and study people of color
– We must be careful to be respectful to those we study.
How can we see children in the archaeological record?
Toys
Small clothing
Things children would make
Sex vs Gender
Sex - Is biologically based (male or female or intersex)
Gender - Is culturally based (man and women can me different things)
Performativity
Judith Butler, created the idea that identity, especially gender, is not static but is constantly changes as we live and take actions, “perform”.
3 phases of feminism in archeaology
- Addressing overt sexism (androsexism, people only focused on the men in the past, which does not tell the full story). Conkey and Spector - wrote about androsexim and how the men where only studied when females where important too. “Man the Hunter” model
- Understanding the roles of males and females in society. (moving on from critiquing, actually researching the women of the past)
- Looking beyond men and females to see new genders and uncover new forms of identity. (Looking at gender and sexuality and they way they affect everyday lives. Not just women specifically).
Case Study: What This Awl Means
Janet Spector - A book trying to understand the experience of one native american girl. “peopling” the past. SEE 3 PHASES OF FEMINISM CARD.
Intersectionality
We can only understand gender identity by looking at it’s interactions with other forms of identity. No identities exist alone. Race, age, religion etc.
Lamarckian Evolution
Animals could pass on traits to their offspring. (wrong)
Positivism vs Relativism
Positivism:
The world is empirically knowable.
Modernism - progress is always good, move foreword
Relativism:
Our understanding of the world is culturally constructed
Post-Modernism - Take a step back and understand consequences
Mickey Mouse laws
Generalized laws on the human race
Marxist archeaology
Focused on economy.
Gender archeaology
Focused on correcting androcentric focus (male bias). Female ideals
Post-Structuralism/agency
People have free will, but social structures (re)create realities.
Ian Hodder
Artifacts as symbols/texts that are “read” subjectively.
Diverse interpretations of work in Catalhoyuk in Turkey. (one of the most important Neolithic sites). It’s across the sea from Egypt on a map.
Aggrandizer/feasting model
People would try to show wealth by showing off extravagant displays of food. Increases their status.
Emic
insider perspectives
Evolutionary archeaology
Applies theories of evolution (darwin)
Cultural transmission
Learned information that is passed on. Increased technology…
Cultural variability
Invention (like mutation)
Revival (like mutation)
Drift (like genetic drift)
Diffusion (like gene flow)
Cultural selection
ideas spread or decline… skinny jeans popular or unpopular? DVD or Blu ray?
Contemporary Theory
people are more complex than just environment, subsistence and population.
How cultures are formed and evolve.
