Open AccessThe feminist critique
Author(s) -
Fernanda Neubauer,
Michael J. Schaefer
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
revista de arqueologia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1982-1999
pISSN - 0102-0420
DOI - 10.24885/sab.v20i2.549
Subject(s) - sociology , gender studies , identity (music) , humanities , art , aesthetics
We discuss the important role of the feminist critique in bringing awareness to gender, childhood, and identity research, and in giving voice to the perspectives of underrepresented groups. As a case study of ancient social lives and gender, we discuss a range of Marajoara identity markers interpreted through the study of ceramic tangas (female pubic coverings) from Marajó Island in the Brazilian Amazon (A.D. 400-1400). There, tangas were made and used by women as a material representation of social position, gender, and individual identity. We argue that identity constitutes a fundamentally important aspect of archaeological research, and that the strongest case studies in identity are those that encompass a variety of gendered inferences to understand social lives of the past.