Gendering Prehistoric Men
The main reason to study masculinity in archaeology is because it provides interesting and relevant knowledge about prehistoric societies and how they may have been structured by gender. While some have argued strongly for the inclusion of men and masculinity into the archaeology of gender (e.g. Alberti 2006; Caesar 1999a, b; Knapp 1998a, c; Meskell 1999:61–64) others have expressed reluctance to study men because they fear it may be a backlash to the studies of women and reinstate ‘‘man’’ as the universal historical subject (see Alberti 2006:403; Knapp 1998b:118; Knapp 1998c:92; White 2000). I will assert that we do not have a gendered archaeology as long as men are left out as we cannot explore gender systems by focusing on women alone. On the contrary, ‘‘If we problematize women and leave men as an untheorized group, the male position is indirectly privileged and gender studies are regarded as the domain of women.’’ (Meskell 1999:84). Without critical studies in prehistoric men and masculinities, men will remain an undifferentiated dominant group (Alberti 2006:411). To study men in archaeology is not just a question of ‘‘adding men and stir’’. To focus explicitly on men is in itself no guarantee for a gendered study as the preceding discussion of Harding’s (2007) work illustrates. ‘‘To ‘‘do’’ men is not to comprehend masculinity […]’’ (Knapp 1998b:117). To avoid androcentrism, and to obtain knowledge of the gendered men in prehistory we need to critically explore how masculinities may have structured society, affected power and individual actions and identities, and even question the concept of masculinity itself and challenge any a priori binary understandings of gender (see Alberti 2006).
Modern critical men’s studies are for the most deeply rooted in feminist theory (Connell 2005[1995]; Ekenstam 2006; Kimmel 2000; Knapp 1998c; Lorentzen and Mu¨hleisen 2006; Petersen 2003; Whitehead 2002). There is thus no contradiction between a gender archaeology based on feminist theory and studies in prehistoric men and masculinities. Benjamin Alberti (2006:402–403) argues that there is no need for a separate archaeology of masculinity, as the necessary theoretical and conceptual frameworks are already in place within the feminist inspired gender archaeology, something which is generally supported by the few publications explicitly discussing men and masculinity in prehistory (see e.g. Alberti 1997, 2006; Caesar 1999a; Foxhall 1998; Joyce 2000, 2007; Knapp 1998c; Lislerud 2001; Skogstrand 2006; Voss 2008). In fact, without feminist theory and epistemology and awareness that masculinity is neither monolithic nor static, but divergent and multiple configurations of discursive practice (Connell 1995; Connell and Messerschmidt 2005; Demetriou 2001), a focus on men and masculinity within archaeology risks ending up in traditional androcentrism.
Gendering Prehistoric Men
The main reason to study masculinity in archaeology is because it provides interesting and relevant knowledge about prehistoric societies and how they may have been structured by gender. While some have argued strongly for the inclusion of men and masculinity into the archaeology of gender (e.g. Alberti 2006; Caesar 1999a, b; Knapp 1998a, c; Meskell 1999:61–64) others have expressed reluctance to study men because they fear it may be a backlash to the studies of women and reinstate ‘‘man’’ as the universal historical subject (see Alberti 2006:403; Knapp 1998b:118; Knapp 1998c:92; White 2000). I will assert that we do not have a gendered archaeology as long as men are left out as we cannot explore gender systems by focusing on women alone. On the contrary, ‘‘If we problematize women and leave men as an untheorized group, the male position is indirectly privileged and gender studies are regarded as the domain of women.’’ (Meskell 1999:84). Without critical studies in prehistoric men and masculinities, men will remain an undifferentiated dominant group (Alberti 2006:411). To study men in archaeology is not just a question of ‘‘adding men and stir’’. To focus explicitly on men is in itself no guarantee for a gendered study as the preceding discussion of Harding’s (2007) work illustrates. ‘‘To ‘‘do’’ men is not to comprehend masculinity […]’’ (Knapp 1998b:117). To avoid androcentrism, and to obtain knowledge of the gendered men in prehistory we need to critically explore how masculinities may have structured society, affected power and individual actions and identities, and even question the concept of masculinity itself and challenge any a priori binary understandings of gender (see Alberti 2006).
Modern critical men’s studies are for the most deeply rooted in feminist theory (Connell 2005[1995]; Ekenstam 2006; Kimmel 2000; Knapp 1998c; Lorentzen and Mu¨hleisen 2006; Petersen 2003; Whitehead 2002). There is thus no contradiction between a gender archaeology based on feminist theory and studies in prehistoric men and masculinities. Benjamin Alberti (2006:402–403) argues that there is no need for a separate archaeology of masculinity, as the necessary theoretical and conceptual frameworks are already in place within the feminist inspired gender archaeology, something which is generally supported by the few publications explicitly discussing men and masculinity in prehistory (see e.g. Alberti 1997, 2006; Caesar 1999a; Foxhall 1998; Joyce 2000, 2007; Knapp 1998c; Lislerud 2001; Skogstrand 2006; Voss 2008). In fact, without feminist theory and epistemology and awareness that masculinity is neither monolithic nor static, but divergent and multiple configurations of discursive practice (Connell 1995; Connell and Messerschmidt 2005; Demetriou 2001), a focus on men and masculinity within archaeology risks ending up in traditional androcentrism.
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