Framing Unequal Boundaries: Women, Queens, and Gender

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Gender in Archaeology over the Last 30+ Years" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Since the landmark 1986 “Blood of Kings,” kingship has been a central theme in the archaeology, iconography, and epigraphy of the ancient Americas. Despite recent discoveries, the topic of women rulers remains ancillary to the larger view of male-dominated social and political power. During the past 30 years, roles of women have been presented within broader discussions of gender, with the 1996 Dumbarton Oaks symposium “Gender in Pre-Hispanic America” infamous for its contentious divides. Although gender theory is more widely accepted today, the identification of women in iconography and archaeological context is fraught with residual a priori assumptions that an individual is sexed male until proven otherwise. In Olmec studies, as well as other areas, courageous scholars who challenged these norms were often castigated by their predominantly male colleagues. Only now are their interpretations being revaluated by a new generation of scholars. This presentation focuses on women in Mexican Gulf Coast archaeology and art history, both the scholars and historic personages that continue to shape our understanding of this oft-neglected region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Gender in Archaeology over the Last 30+ Years   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38608.0