Theme:
3. The Carpathian Basin: Integration, Mobility and Diversity
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Women’s Status and Agency in the Neolithic and Metal Ages of Central Europe [AGE]
Content:
Along with age, gender has been, and continues to be, an important category structuring societies all over the world, affecting access to resources, activities and the division of labour, as well as the social roles of individuals. However, the extent to which gender impacts upon opportunities for decision-making, self-determination and building one's own social and economic position is neither uniform in the modern world nor in the past. A number of factors, including the level of political, economic, as well as ideological and religious organization of particular communities, intersect with gender and influence the lives of individuals. Whereas the discussion of gender in Bronze Age archaeology has a long history and has produced specific results, both in the form of publications and targeted research projects, the study of sex and gender in the Neolithic is still in its infancy. Comparative studies that address the issue of sex and gender over a substantial period of time in order to capture specific changes, rather than simply observe their effects, are still lacking. Within the framework of the proposed session, we would like to discuss both the sources and interpretations of women’s agency in the context of economic, social, and ritual activities of Neolithic and Metal Age communities in Central Europe.
The session will address the following research questions:
- Do the archaeological sources indicate specific activities carried out exclusively by members of one sex?
- Has the history of archaeology in particular countries influenced the perception of gender roles in prehistory in a specific way?
- Do the archaeological sources confirm or contradict a binary gender concept in the prehistory of Central Europe?
- How can we situate female agency in the context of exogamous marriage practices and other interpretations of female mobility?
Keywords:
Neolithic, Metal Ages, Agency, Gender, Central Europe
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
AGE
Main organiser:
Mateusz Jaeger (Poland) 1
Co-organisers:
Gabriella Kulcsár (Hungary) 2
Mateusz Stróżyk (Poland) 3
Katharina Rebay-Salisbury (Austria) 4
Eszter Melis (Hungary) 2
Affiliations:
1. Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Institute of European Culture
2. Institute of Archaeology Research Centre for the Humanities
3. Poznań Archaeological Museum
4. Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
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