Gendered Labor in Specialized Economies
384 pages, 6 x 9
62 figures
Paperback
Release Date:01 Dec 2016
ISBN:9781607325208
Gendered Labor in Specialized Economies
Archaeological Perspectives on Female and Male Work
Edited by Sophia E. Kelly and Traci Ardren
University Press of Colorado
Prehistoric economic relationships are often presented as genderless, yet mounting research highlights the critical role gendered identities play in the division of work tasks and the development of specialized production in pre-modern economic systems. In Gendered Labor in Specialized Economies, contributors combine the study of gender in the archaeological record with the examination of intensified craft production in prehistory to reassess the connection between craft specialization and the types and amount of work that men and women performed in ancient communities.
Chapters are organized by four interrelated themes crucial for understanding the implications of gender in the organization of craft production: craft specialization and the political economy, combined effort in specialized production, the organization of female and male specialists, and flexibility and rigidity in the gendered division of labor. Contributors consider how changes to the gendered division of labor in craft manufacture altered other types of production or resulted from modifications in the organization of production elsewhere in the economic system.
Striking a balance between theoretical and methodological approaches and presenting case studies from sites around the world, Gendered Labor in Specialized Economies offers a guide to the major issues that will frame future research on how men’s and women’s work changes, predisposes, and structures the course of economic development in various societies.
Contributors: Alejandra Alonso Olvera, Traci Ardren, Michael G. Callaghan, Nigel Chang, Cathy Lynne Costin, Pilar Margarita Hernández Escontrías, A. Halliwell, Sue Harrington, James M. Heidke, Sophia E. Kelly, Brigitte Kovacevich, T. Kam Manahan, Ann Brower Stahl, Laura Swantek, Rita Wright, Andrea Yankowski
Chapters are organized by four interrelated themes crucial for understanding the implications of gender in the organization of craft production: craft specialization and the political economy, combined effort in specialized production, the organization of female and male specialists, and flexibility and rigidity in the gendered division of labor. Contributors consider how changes to the gendered division of labor in craft manufacture altered other types of production or resulted from modifications in the organization of production elsewhere in the economic system.
Striking a balance between theoretical and methodological approaches and presenting case studies from sites around the world, Gendered Labor in Specialized Economies offers a guide to the major issues that will frame future research on how men’s and women’s work changes, predisposes, and structures the course of economic development in various societies.
Contributors: Alejandra Alonso Olvera, Traci Ardren, Michael G. Callaghan, Nigel Chang, Cathy Lynne Costin, Pilar Margarita Hernández Escontrías, A. Halliwell, Sue Harrington, James M. Heidke, Sophia E. Kelly, Brigitte Kovacevich, T. Kam Manahan, Ann Brower Stahl, Laura Swantek, Rita Wright, Andrea Yankowski
The volume is essential - not because it provides simple answers but because it clearly establishes the tremendous challenges that face such research.’
—American Journal of Archaeology
‘Professionals in archaeology, anthropology and cultural resource management will find the theoretical points and specific studies absorbing. Applied anthropologists and policy makers involved with public heritage will find it a valuable resource. The book will also appeal to students and scholars of art history, race relations, and identity, legal and public policy, cultural engagements and consultations.’
—Australian Aboriginal Studies
'In a series of case studies, the authors bring rock art out of the realm of prehistory to which it is usually assigned and offer a unique insight into the meanings of these symbolic forms for the present day. This pathbreaking work is written in a highly accessible way and offers excellent illustrations (particularly those in color). For a wide readership. Summing Up: Essential.'—CHOICE
Sophia E. Kelly is a research affiliate at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University.
Traci Ardren is professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Miami.
Traci Ardren is professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Miami.
