Teaching on the Down-Low: presenting queer theory to a broad audience

Summary

Because we so often think about archaeological theory as something for "advanced" students, and gender and queer theory still regularly get little 'air-time' in most courses, it is unusual to introduce students to these perspectives at the level of general education and introductory course work. Personal experience in teaching Archaeology of Gender in two religiously conservative states - Kentucky and Wisconsin - over the last 15 years suggests that there are ways in which we can move students to a place where the construction of gender systems and heteronormativity can be actively, if not openly, critiqued. This paper will present two case studies that explore the ways in which presenting aspects Queer Theory in 'non-threatening' ways benefits students - regardless of sexual identity. In turn, it looks at examples of how this kind of teaching has had an impact on my own thinking about archaeological practice and interpretation.

SAA 2015 abstracts made available in tDAR courtesy of the Society for American Archaeology and Center for Digital Antiquity Collaborative Program to improve digital data in archaeology. If you are the author of this presentation you may upload your paper, poster, presentation, or associated data (up to 3 files/30MB) for free. Please visit http://www.tdar.org/SAA2015 for instructions and more information.

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

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