Gender and social structure in Prehistory : the uses and abuses of material culture : a case-study of the Neolithic site of CÌ§atalhoÌyuÌk, CÌ§umra (Turkey)
During the 1990âs gender became accepted as a topic of study in archaeology. However, a methodology for assessing the usefulness of certain types of material for understanding the operation of gender in prehistoric societies is still lacking. Traditionally, archaeologists have tended to infer gender structures from the two âobviousâ data groups - burials, and human representations - but their assessments were generally based on modern Western normative attitudes and were uninformed by anthropological or sociological viewpoints and discoveries. Thus the data were used in unimaginative ways, or adapted to fit expectations, producing little ground-breaking work but rather reproducing in the past the picture of the present. The new wave of gender investigators also works predominantly with these same data groups, because of their clear affinity with âreal peopleâ, but there is still a gap in methodology, and a separation of gender from the wider implications of social organisation. This thesis is concerned to investigate the application of anthropological and sociological insights, and theoretical social constructs, to certain types of material culture recovered commonly from archaeological sites and
Hamilton, Naomi Susan
Gender and social structure in Prehistory : the uses and abuses of material culture : a case-study of the Neolithic site of CÌ§atalhoÌyuÌk, CÌ§umra (Turkey). During the 1990âs gender became accepted as a topic of study in archaeology. However, a methodology for assessing the usefulness of certain types of material for understanding the operation of gender in prehistoric societies is still lacking. Traditionally, archaeologists have tended to infer gender structures from the two âobviousâ data groups - burials, and human representations - but their assessments were generally based on modern Western normative attitudes and were uninformed by anthropological or sociological viewpoints and discoveries. Thus the data were used in unimaginative ways, or adapted to fit expectations, producing little ground-breaking work but rather reproducing in the past the picture of the present. The new wave of gender investigators also works predominantly with these same data groups, because of their clear affinity with âreal peopleâ, but there is still a gap in methodology, and a separation of gender from the wider implications of social organisation. This thesis is concerned to investigate the application of anthropological and sociological insights, and theoretical social constructs, to certain types of material culture recovered commonly from archaeological sites and
gender social_structure prehistory use_abuse material_culture case_study neolithic_site cissatalhoiyuik turkey gender become accepted topic study archaeology however assess usefulness certain_type material operation gender prehistoric_society still_lack traditionally archaeologist tend infer gender structure obvious data group burial human representation assessment generally base modern_western normative attitude anthropological sociological viewpoint discovery thus data_use way adapt fit expectation produce little ground breaking work rather reproduce past picture present new wave gender investigator also work predominantly data group clear affinity real people still gap separation gender wider_implication social_organisation concerned investigate application anthropological sociological insight theoretical social construct certain_type material_culture recover commonly archaeological_site