Discussion points
- In the first half of the discussion, I would like to tackle the question, how did it come about that archaeologists started to think about gender and sexuality as an important frame of reference, discussing ancient societies. Feminism, interest in finding "individuals" in the ancient past, interest in the human body and the materiality of bodies, experience of the world through our bodies, critique of male-centric approaches, questions of power (long live Foucault!)?.. What else? How did gender/sexuality approaches challenge traditional views of ancient social formations?
- I would also be interested in discussing ancient conceptualizations of the body, its gender and sexuality, in relation to practices of visual representation. Prehistoric figurines and barbie dolls are of course fascinating examples in that concern, complementing each other. This discussion will be fruitful to bring up when we consider the terracotta plaques that Zainab Bahrani discusses in her piece. How does one interpret sexually explicit scenes such as those? What is the role of our puritan mentalities in judging such representations? I am sure there are a few of you who might be familiar with similar wall paintings from the Roman world, and vase paintings from the clasiscal Greek world. Please feel free to bring examples. I will bring my terracotta plaques.
- What is "embodied subjectivity"? What is the role of gender/sexuality in the constructions of subjectivity?
Boys will be boys... (Photograph by Manuel Citak-- dedicated to Bernard Knapp)
Gender performance or performed gender: Pakistani hijras in a shrine. Image credit.
Lynn Meskell's "Re-em(bed)ding sex"
- In Lynn Meskell's article we observe another author tackling the issue of gender assumptions and their application in interpretations of the ancient past. With inspiration from Foucault, Lynn argues that sexuality did not exist as a separate, discursive category, but was rather deeply embedded in the spheres of domestic life and ritual practice. At the conclusion of her essay, Lynn again cites Foucault and leaves her readers with this final statement: "Finally, I'd like to recenter Foucault's famous insight that 'what is peculiar to modern societies, in fact, is not that they consigned sex to a shadow existence, but that they dedicated themselves to speaking of it ad infinitum, while exploiting it as the secret" (261). Why would Meskell conclude her article with such a quote? How does Foucault's statement relate to Meskell's thesis and the problems that she investigates?
- Look at the image posted below. What are your first impressions? Imagine that the image is contemporary, created within the last few years. After some thought, imagine that the image is from the Neolithic Period. Consider how your thoughts and interpretations will change once you know the context of this image. With the knowledge you've gain from this week's readings, consider how you would approach the "sexuality" represented in this image.
Image from Private Life in New Kingdom Egypt by Lynn Meskell (Princeton University Press; 2005), 138.