2017 saw the publication of Mary Beard’s bestseller Women and Power, and the explosion of the #MeToo movement across social media. Billed as a manifesto, Beard’s book takes a historical approach rather than explicitly outlining inclusive and intersectional practical steps for supporting women’s power in modern, multi-vocal archaeology. There is clearly a pressing need now to move beyond conversations about women*’s experiences of archaeology both in and outside of the academy and look for concrete action. This is most keenly needed at intersections of class, race, sexuality, dis/ability, and in the experience of people identifying as non-binary or trans.
There has now been more than a decade of studies including gender feminist theorisations of the past as well as surveys of the profession providing the data that show change is urgently required. This was pioneered by the British Women Archaeologists group, but today numerous other organisations are working toward positive change in the discipline. This includes CIfA’s Equality and Diversity Group, Enabled Archaeology, BAJR RESPECT campaign, and Women’s Classical Committee while TrowelBlazers have raised the profile of women in archaeology more widely. Some informal actions have taken place including the establishment of a Mentoring group on Facebook, but now is the time for institutions and employers to step up and effect real change.
This session is aimed at bringing together many voices to speak, and to listen. The panel will include representatives from a number of groups for an open discussion chaired by Trowelblazers examining the following questions:
• What is the historical context of women’s success in archaeology?
• What are remaining barriers to inclusion?
• What current practices are working and can be built on, particularly those that ensure work to promote women is itself inclusive?
Following this we will outline a draft best practice document containing actionable steps which organisations can use to make more radical and meaningful changes to attract, support and retain women in archaeological careers.
As an inspiring case study we will open the session by screening a short documentary on the role of women within a conflict archaeology research collective.
We look forward to a challenging, open and productive session.
Organisers: Penny Coombe; University of Oxford • Cecilia Dal Zovo; CSIC • Beth Hodgett; Birkbeck College, University of London & Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.
14:00 | Session organisers | Introduction
14:10 | Rebeca Blanco-Rotea, G.I. Síncrisis, University of Santiago de Compostela; Sara Traba, Independent Researcher | Conflict Archaeology: an audiovisual project on the invisibility of women in certain archaeologies
14:40 | Becky Wragg Sykes, Independent scholar / Trowelblazers; Brenna Hassett, UCL; Suzanne Pilaar Birch, Trowelblazers; Victoria Herridge, Trowelblazers; Anne Teather, British Women Archaeologists (BWA); Rachel Pope, British Women Archaeologists (BWA) and University of Liverpool; Laura Hampden, Museum Detox; Laura Hampden, Historic England, Museum Detox, CIfA Equality and Diversity Group; Hannah Cobb, University of Manchester; Penelope Foreman, Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust; Penelope Foreman, Enabled Archaeology | Open Workshop participant
15:20 | - | BREAK
15:50 | Becky Wragg Sykes, Independent scholar / Trowelblazers; Brenna Hassett, UCL; Suzanne Pilaar Birch, Trowelblazers; Victoria Herridge, Trowelblazers; Anne Teather, British Women Archaeologists (BWA); Rachel Pope, British Women Archaeologists (BWA) and University of Liverpool; Laura Hampden, Museum Detox; Laura Hampden, Historic England, Museum Detox, CIfA Equality and Diversity Group; Hannah Cobb, University of Manchester; Penelope Foreman, Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust; Penelope Foreman, Enabled Archaeology | Open Workshop participant
17:30 | - | END