AG Geschlechterforschung in Würzburg
Tagungsbericht
The session Gender & Space was part of the 85. Jahrestagung des WSWA, arranged 1-5 April 2019 at the University of Würzburg.
In addition to the Introductory, five papers were given. In all, seven papers were planned, but unhappily both of the two Spanish ones scheduled were cancelled shortly before the session.
The Introduction was given by the chairs of the session, Jana Esther Fries (Oldenburg) & Ulrike Rambuscheck (Hannover). They provided an overview of research history, issues and potentials within the wide field of Gender and Space in archaeology. It was emphasized that gender and space has been a great issue in the social sciences for a while already. Ethnographic examples were mentioned, and a more recent classic was Pierre Bourdieu’s Kabyle house. In archaeology Ruth Tringham’s house analyses in the Balkans were of much inspiration. The multifaceted archaeological sources include house plans as well as images. The possibilities take up reconstructions in 3D models. A bottom line of the chairs’ was also that Space has always played an important role in archaeology. This is embodied in distribution maps, not least in the tradition of Siedlungsarchäologie.
The papers were the following ones:
Julia K. Koch (Kiel): “Raum und Bestattungssitten. Spuren des gender turn zwischen Endneolithikum und Mittlerer Bronzezeit in Mitteleuropa”
Issues were relationships between space and bodies in the Neolithic versus the Bronze Age, in which associations of object-topography-gender were focused. The Singen cemetery was an emphasis of the study. A main conclusion was that spatial aspects in burial rites express the rise of dichotomous gender concepts in Europe between the final Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age.
Doris Gutschmiedl- Schümann (Berlin): “Sichtbar im Grab – sichtbar in der Siedlung?”
Discussed were similarities and differences in gender representations in Merovingian graves and in dwelling sites. Burials were emphasized as an important source to social history, while the studies of gender in dwelling sites are a much more problematic endeavor. One aspect is that while Merovingian graves are known as richly equipped, very little material is preserved in the dwellings in question. But it is anyway possible to ask gender-informed questions about such as movement, views and hindrances in dwelling.
Maria Xagorari-Gleiβner (Eckental): “Im engen Rahmen: Hausmodelle in der griechischen Götter- und Totenehrung”
A main issue was changes over time in the iconography of the Naiskos, a miniature temple. Source material are house models and images in vase paintings. Material changes are observed during the time span 6th-4th centuries BC. One characteristic is that at the beginning of the epoch there were house models throughout all of the Greek area equipped with a single goddess figurine. At the end of the epoch in question, the frames were instead turned into a scenery for the family as the social unit.
Marion Bolder-Boos (Darmstadt): “Gebäudestiftungen der Kaiserin Livia in Rom”
A point of departure for the study was that the Empresses of Rome had been paid too little attention to, especially seen in the light of their actual endeavors. Focus was on Livia Drusilla, Augustus’ Empress through 50 years. Her name is represented on a number of marble building fragments in Rome, not only in the well-known Porticus Liviae. The question of whether Livia was an exception among Imperial women as to building foundation, is however not much investigated.
Susanne Moraw (Leipzig): “Wer spielt wo? Geschlechtsspezifische Darstellungen von Jungen und Mädchen in der Spätantike”
The time covered is AD 3rd-6th centuries, when a great number of images of children and young people are preserved, in the Domus and in the Villa. There are also mythical images of the young ones, in sarcophagus, grave stelae, grave reliefs, and in mosaics. In general girls are more infrequently portrayed and most often in the house. A characteristic way of representation is, that boys play wild games in the open air, while girls are occupied with quiet plays in the women’s rooms. A general conclusion of the study is that boys were related to the official sphere and girls to the private one.
Summary
All of the papers did thus give different and contrasting examples in time and space, and they exemplified various approaches to gender and space. Each paper presented good case studies particularly in choices of sites and other data, such as written sources. It must also be added that the cancelled Spanish contributions could have presented still additional aspects, in material as well as in approaches. They are represented by scholars with a focus very much on production and consumption and on the issue of work spaces and gender in sites. They also take an ethno-archaeological line of attack which also adds an extra dimension to discussions on gender and archaeology in general.
Much time for discussion was scheduled at the session. Two main spaces for discussions were arranged, one in the end of the morning session, and the latter at the end of the session. Main topics of discussion related to space by taking up perspectives in archaeological houseplans; among the questions was, from whose situation do we construct houseplans? Other subjects were on landscape and gender, and also mobility and gender, not least on popular versions of gender and mobility and the role of isotope results in the discourse on mobility.
All of the papers were given by women. A majority of the participants in the session were women, students as well as professionals from different parts of the wide field of archaeology. But a handful of male colleagues participated and most of them also took an active part in the discussions.
The “Gender & Space session” was a very welcome, looked-for and exciting event. Hopefully it will inspire many of us to continue to follow up the issue by various approaches and material cases in time and geography.
Tove Hjørungdal, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Programm
Do 04.04.2019
Raum und Geschlecht: Der Spatial Turn in der archäologischen Geschlechterforschung
09.00 Jana Esther Fries (Oldenburg)/Ulrike Rambuscheck (Hannover): Begrüßung und Einführung
09.30 Albert García-Piquer/Assumpció Vila-Mitjà/Jordi Estévez-Escalera (Barcelona): Ethnoarchaeological approach to social norms: the organization of social space in Yámana Hunter-Fisher-Gatherer society (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina)
10.00 Kaffeepause
10.30 N. Morera/T. Escoriza-Mateu/R. Piqué (Barcelona/Almería): Activity areas and sexual division of labour during early Neolithic: limitations and perspectives. The case of the settlement of La Draga (NE Iberian Peninsula)
11.00 Julia K. Koch (Kiel): Raum und Bestattungssitten. Spuren des gender turn zwischen Endneolithikum und Mittlerer Bronzezeit in Mitteleuropa
11.30 Doris Gutsmiedl-Schümann (Berlin): Sichtbar im Grab – sichtbar in der Siedlung?
12.30 Mittagspause
14.00 Maria Xagorari-Gleißner (Tübingen): Im engen Rahmen: Hausmodelle in der griechischen Götter- und Totenehrung
14.30 Marion Bolder-Boos (Darmstadt): Gebäudestiftungen der Kaiserin Livia in Rom
15.00 Susanne Moraw (Leipzig): Wer spielt wo? Geschlechtsspezifische Darstellungen von Jungen und Mädchen in der Spätantike
15.30 Kaffeepause
16.00 Abschlussdiskussion und Sprecherinnen-Wahl
Call for Papers
for English version see below
Der Spatial Turn in den Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaften hat bereits vor längerer Zeit auch die prähistorische Archäologie erfasst, die allerdings schon immer auch eine deutliche geographische Komponente hatte. Durch die Einführung neuer digitaler Techniken wie CAD und vor allem GIS konnten zudem geographische Fragen wesentlich leichter und mit komplexeren Verknüpfungen als zuvor behandelt werden. Sie wurden deshalb gerade im Zusammenhang mit sozialen und symbolischen Aspekten zu einem intensiv behandelten Thema der Ur- und Frühgeschichte. Innerhalb der archäologischen Geschlechterforschung wurde die Beziehung von Raum und Geschlecht von Anfang an gelegentlich untersucht. Bereits im Sammelband „Engendering Archaeology. Women and Prehistory“ aus dem Jahr 1991 gehen einige Beiträge auf dieses Thema ein. Allerdings wurden die neuen technischen Möglichkeiten bislang nur selten entsprechend genutzt.
Die Sitzung der AG Geschlechterforschung widmet sich deshalb dieser Beziehung und fragt: Ist der Spatial Turn in der archäologischen Geschlechterforschung angekommen? Welche Rolle spielen Räume innerhalb von Geschlechtersystemen und welche Forschungsmöglichkeiten ergeben sich aus geographischen Ansätzen und Techniken?
Zu u.a. folgenden Aspekten bitten wir um Vortragsvorschläge:
• Landschaft: Wie werden Landschaften geschlechtlich codiert? Gibt es Hinweise auf unterschiedliche symbolische Prägungen, Deutungen oder Benennungen? Wie sichtbar sind die Geschlechter in der Kulturlandschaft?
• Rechte: Wie funktionieren die Verfügung und der Besitz über Land durch die Geschlechter? Wie wird Raum sich angeeignet oder genutzt? Können wir Aufenthaltsbereiche, Nutzungsrechte oder Eigentum nachweisen?
• Bestattungsplätze: Was sagen die Belegungsabfolgen auf Friedhöfen zu der Geschlechterordnung einer Gesellschaft aus? Wie werden Männer- und Frauenfriedhöfe (etwa aus der römischen Kaiserzeit in Norddeutschland) heute interpretiert, wie Zentral- und Nebenbestattungen aus einer Genderperspektive?
• Handel/Migration: Welche Räume und Beziehungen werden hierbei durch die handelnden Menschen hervorgebracht? Gibt es je nach Geschlecht unterschiedliche räumliche Beziehungen?
• Bildliche Darstellungen: Welche Räume/Plätze nehmen hier die verschiedenen Geschlechter ein?
• Wohnen/Arbeiten/Alltagsleben: Welche Räume nehmen Frauen und Männer hier ein, welche Nutzungs- und Verfügungsrechte haben sie, wie werden sie jeweils symbolisch in Gebäuden u.a. dargestellt?
• 3-D-Rekonstruktionen/Modelle/Pläne: Wie wird die Kategorie Geschlecht hier repräsentiert?
Gerne werden auch Vorträge zu weiteren Aspekten von Raum und Geschlecht angenommen.
Wir bitten bis zum 15. Dezember 2018 um eine Zusammenfassung, die 200 Wörter nicht überschreiten sollte. Die Zusammenfassungen werden vom Organisationsteam der Tagung veröffentlicht.
Die Sprecherinnen der AG Geschlechterforschung
Jana Esther Fries
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Ulrike Rambuscheck
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Space and Gender: Spatial Turn in Archaeological Gender Studies
9. session of the workgroup Gender Studies on April 4th, 2019 during the common meeting of WSVA and MOVA from April 1st to April 5th, 2019 in Würzburg, Germany
The concept of spatial turn already some time ago entered prehistoric archaeology, which anyway ever since had had a spatial component. Moreover, through the invention of new digital instruments, such as CAD and especially GIS, geographical questions could be answered in a much better way and combined with complex interrelations. Thus, they became an intensely discussed issue within the context of social and symbolic aspects in pre- and early history. Archaeological gender studies have been investigating interrelations between space and gender occasionally from the outset. As early as in 1991, some chapters of the edited volume “Engendering Archaeology, Women and Prehistory” focused on these issues. However, the new technical options have been used only scarcely so far.
The session will therefore address this interrelation, and we will ask: Has spatial turn reached archaeological gender studies? Which role do spaces play within gender systems, and which research opportunities do we get by using geographical approaches and instruments?
We would like to ask you for presentation proposals on the following aspects:
• Landscape: How are landscapes encoded by gender? Are there any indications of dif-ferent symbolic imprints, interpretations or terms? Is gender visible in cultural land-scape?
• Rights: How does gender determine the way in which land is owned or controlled? In which ways is space acquired or used? Is it possible to verify areas, rights of use, or ownerships?
• Burial places: What do burial sequences indicate concerning gender hierarchies? In which way are burial grounds for men and women (e. g. during Roman Iron Age in northern Germany) interpreted today, and likewise central and satellite burials seen from the gender perspective?
• Trade/migration: Which spaces and interrelations are created by acting persons? Are there different spatial relations for each gender?
• Images/illustrations: Which places/rooms are inhabited by the different genders?
• Housing/work/everyday life: Which rooms are occupied by women and men, which rights of use or disposal do they possess, and how are these symbolically depicted in buildings etc.?
• 3-D reconstructions/models/plans: in which way is the concept of gender represented by them?
We would gladly accept presentations on further aspects of space and gender.
We would like to ask you for a summary containing up to max. 200 words until December 15th, 2018. They will be published by the organising team.
The speakers of the workgroup Gender Studies
Jana Esther Fries
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Ulrike Rambuscheck
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