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Black Feminist Theory in Prehistory

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Abstract

Black feminist theory has been employed in North American historical archaeology, but has not made inroads in other areas of archaeology. This article describes how Black feminist theory may be used to address the sociopolitics of archaeological practice as well as how it may be applied to the study of prehistory. Suggestions for improving the climate for minority researchers are provided, and a brief example is given demonstrating how taking a Black feminist standpoint provides a different way to look at interactions between Neandertals and anatomically modern humans in Pleistocene Europe.

Résumé

Les théories du féminisme Noir ont été utilisées dans l’archéologie historique d’Amérique du Nord, mais ils n’ont pas franchis autres sujets en archéologie. Cet article décrit comment le féminisme Noir peut être utilisé pour affronter le politique social des pratiques de l’archéologie et comment on peut appliquer ces théories à l’étude de la préhistoire. Je suggère des moyens pour améliorer le climat du travail pour les chercheurs minoritaires, et un exemple bref qui montre comment un point de vue féministe Noire donne une autre vue sur les interactions entre les Néandertaliens et les humains modernes dans le Pléistocène de l’Europe.

Resumen

La teoría feminista Negra ha sido utilizada en la arqueología histórica norteamericana, pero no ha hecho incursiones en otras áreas de la arqueología. El presente artículo describe cómo la teoría feminista Negra puede ser utilizada para abordar la sociopolítica de la práctica arqueológica y también cómo puede ser aplicada al estudio de la prehistoria. Se proporcionan sugerencias para mejorar las condiciones de los investigadores de minorías, y se ofrece un breve ejemplo que demuestra cómo el asumir un punto de vista feminista Negro proporciona una forma diferente de ver las interacciones entre los neandertales y los humanos anatómicamente modernos en la Europa del Pleistoceno.

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Acknowledgments

Many thanks are due to my colleagues and friends who helped me strengthen my arguments in feminist theories and ancient DNA analysis. I also thank the three anonymous reviewers who helped me sharpen and clarify the discussion. All errors, of course, remain mine.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902-6000, USA

    Kathleen Sterling

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Correspondence to Kathleen Sterling.

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Sterling, K. Black Feminist Theory in Prehistory. Arch 11, 93–120 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-015-9265-z

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