Cyberfeminism, Virtual Worlds, and Resisting the Feminization of Digital Archaeology

Summary

In feminist technoscience, feminist technologies are those which are good for the oppressed. Cyberfeminists view online worlds as one such technology; although many question how they can support social transformation. The answer to this dilemma for many cyberfeminists requires that we resist embedding new technologies with entrenched hierarchies of power. After a brief review of how hierarchical thinking is embedded in some familiar technologies, I examine the possibilities virtual technologies hold for creating experiences and narratives which challenge dichotomous and hierarchical views of the past. New technologies allow us to interact with past landscapes, inhabit the bodies of others, and even explore the surface of new worlds. Will these technologies support hierarchical tendencies, or can we affect a new paradigm? What is archaeology’s role? Digital archaeology can help shape the use of these technologies as they relate to heritage, community, and identity. In order to realize this goal, our discipline needs to resist the feminization of digital archaeology. I end the paper with a frank discussion of how our discipline can avoid maligning technological methodologists. This includes drawing inspiration from potentially surprising places, including the intersection of video games and popular culture.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Engendered Archaeologies: Intersubjectivity in Archaeological Heritage Practice and Interpretation

Keywords

Spatial Coverage