Out in the Field? Queer Archaeologists, Queer Archaeology, and CRM

Summary

A perennial critique of cultural resources management (CRM) has been its perceived overemphasis on field methods and its dissociation from advancements in archaeological theory, particularly the integration of gendered archaeologies and feminist perspectives. Over the past two decades CRM has made considerable gains toward inclusivity of theory - however, the climate for queer practitioners in CRM working as field technicians, managers, and principal investigators does not readily reflect these gains. In addition to very real issues in seeking employment and receiving fair promotions, the work environments (particularly the field) for CRM archaeologists can be willfully ignorant of LGBTQ issues or outwardly hostile. These considerations make the queer CRM community relatively invisible in comparison to queer academic archaeologists. What does a queer-safe CRM work environment look like, and why should this matter? This paper discusses the challenges, opportunities, and benefits involved in the creation of safe workspaces for queer CRM archaeologists through an examination of the invisibility of queer field practitioners, issues surrounding legislative and corporate discrimination, and the connections between queer archaeologists and the larger conversation of queer archaeology.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Queering the Field: Archaeologies of Sexuality, Gender, and Beyond

Keywords

Spatial Coverage