This volume documents the lives and work of pioneering womenarchaeologists in the southeastern United States from the 1920s through the1960s.
A landmark portrayal of pioneeringwomen in science, reissued on its 25th anniversary
Praise for the firstedition:
“Highlyrecommended for any archaeologist interested in the history of thediscipline.”—Choice
“Animportant addition to the history of southeastern archaeology, bringing tolight the often undervalued or forgotten contributions of the many women whohelped to make archaeology what it is today.”—Bulletin of the History ofArchaeology
“Thisis a needed history, providing details both mundane and critical, personal andprofessional, feminist and archaeological.”—Journal of the History of theBehavioral Sciences
“Demonstrat[es]that each woman, regardless of how, when, or why she came to Southeasternarchaeology, has made significant contributions to the field, clearing the pathfor women today to pursue successful careers in archaeology.”—NorthAmerican Archaeologist
“Theregional focus lends an intimate and immediate quality to this series ofbiographical-historical narratives. . . . [It is] heartening to know that someamong us have thought to capture these women’s stories for others to tell inthe future and to provide a basis for better understanding how our roles andhistories influence our work as archaeologists.”—Journal of AnthropologicalResearch
“Thesefascinating brief portraits, variously based on documents, interviews, orautobiographical statements, reveal much of the changing circumstances in thecontext of which women’s work must be understood.”—National Women’s StudiesAssociation Journal
“Areadable book that provides a lot of interesting material on the history ofSoutheastern archaeology.”—Journal of Alabama Archaeology
“Adelight to read, often humorous, sometimes sobering. It has much to offerreaders, ranging from the history of archaeology and the role of the WPA insoutheastern archaeology, to an intimate view of careers of influential womenin science, to discussions of the study of gender in history and archaeology.It is a volume to be read and shared.”—Arkansas Historical Quarterly
“Aneasily read, thought-provoking book.”—St. Augustine Archaeological AssociationQuarterly Book Review
Updatedwith a new preface on the 25th anniversary of its first publication, thisvolume documents the lives and work of pioneering women archaeologists in thesoutheastern United States from the 1920s through the 1960s. Some of thesewomen were working at the time of the book’s first publication in 1999, andthey either wrote their own stories or were interviewed. Others were no longerliving; their biographies are gleaned from archival research. Rich with humor,tragedy, and important information for the history of archaeology in the Southand beyond, as well as anthropology in general, this book includes the story ofAfrican American women excavators on WPA crews during the Great Depression;tales of innovative lab work, adventurous fieldwork, and public archaeology;and provocative discussions of women in archaeology and of gender in thearchaeological record.
