The duality of female archetypes in facilitating fieldwork: case studies in Arizona and Jordan

Author(s): Jennifer Lewis

Year: 2016

Summary

Polarizing female stereotypes are nothing new: Madonna/whore, “career woman”/ “stay at home mum,” “girly/tomboy”, and others Though modern feminist movements have opened many doors to removing the limitations applied to these stereotypes, women may still find themselves assuming these roles in order to appear more familiar, less threatening, and more trustworthy in order to facilitate their field work.

My research in both Arizona and Jordan requires that I assume different female roles: demure and passive in Arizona, and open and active in Jordan. These paradoxical positions maximize my access as a researcher in both places and, from my perspective, afford me a more varied skillset with which to undertake my research. This paper presents these apparently disparate roles and examines whether an individual them perpetuates, exploits, or simply recognizes the gender-based realities that researchers employ in their fieldwork.

Cite this Record

The duality of female archetypes in facilitating fieldwork: case studies in Arizona and Jordan. Jennifer Lewis. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Orlando, Florida. 2016 ( tDAR id: 403624)

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