Suzanne M. Spencer-Wood – författare

Mothering and Archaeology brings to light new insights connecting mothering in the past and present by exploring all aspects of this important but frequently under-valued and thus neglected subject and is underpinned by feminist theorizing of motherhood and mothering.

Taking a comprehensive approach, this book explores the archaeology of mothers in private and public places in the past and present, the patriarchal institution of motherhood versus actual mothering practices, the burdens and joys of “mothering” in archaeology, and the second shift often pressed upon women. With the inclusion of intersectional research on diverse historic ideologies and practices of motherhood and mothering that varied among classes, races, and ethnic groups, the book also spans a wide range of temporal, geographic, and cultural differences around the world, from Ancient Egypt and Iron-Age Europe to Aztec Mexico, colonial Yucatan, colonial and historic Europe, America and Australia, and modern archaeologists in America and Europe. Going beyond historical practices, the book also examines how female-identifying archaeologists usually perform a disproportionate amount of mothering labor, particularly emotional labor, both in their careers and in the home. Further, it also addresses how becoming a mother affects women''s archaeological practices and careers and discusses why women are doing most of the deeply engaged community archaeology with all of its additional relationships and social navigation of emotional labor.

Bringing together research on motherhood and mothering in the past with women’s contemporary experiences of the relationships of mothering to archaeology, this book provides new insights to researchers in archaeology, anthropology, public history, and women’s studies.

Mothering and Archaeology brings to light new insights connecting mothering in the past and present by exploring all aspects of this important but frequently under-valued and thus neglected subject and is underpinned by feminist theorizing of motherhood and mothering.

Taking a comprehensive approach, this book explores the archaeology of mothers in private and public places in the past and present, the patriarchal institution of motherhood versus actual mothering practices, the burdens and joys of “mothering” in archaeology, and the second shift often pressed upon women. With the inclusion of intersectional research on diverse historic ideologies and practices of motherhood and mothering that varied among classes, races, and ethnic groups, the book also spans a wide range of temporal, geographic, and cultural differences around the world, from Ancient Egypt and Iron-Age Europe to Aztec Mexico, colonial Yucatan, colonial and historic Europe, America and Australia, and modern archaeologists in America and Europe. Going beyond historical practices, the book also examines how female-identifying archaeologists usually perform a disproportionate amount of mothering labor, particularly emotional labor, both in their careers and in the home. Further, it also addresses how becoming a mother affects women''s archaeological practices and careers and discusses why women are doing most of the deeply engaged community archaeology with all of its additional relationships and social navigation of emotional labor.

Bringing together research on motherhood and mothering in the past with women’s contemporary experiences of the relationships of mothering to archaeology, this book provides new insights to researchers in archaeology, anthropology, public history, and women’s studies.

Historical archaeology of landscapes initially followed the pattern of Classical Archaeology by studying elite men''s gardens. Over time, particularly in North America, the field has expanded to cover larger settlement areas, but still often with ungendered and elite focus. The editors of this volume seek to fill this important gap in the literature by presenting studies of gendered power dynamics and their effect on minority groups in North America. Case studies presented include communities of Native Americans, African Americans, multi-ethnic groups, religious communities, and industrial communities.

Just as the research focus has previously neglected the groups presented here, so too has funding to preserve important archaeological sites. As the contributors to this important volume present a new framework for understanding the archaeology of religious and social minority groups, they also demonstrate the importance of preserving the cultural landscapes, particularly of minority groups, from destruction by the modern dominant culture. A full and complete picture of cultural preservation has to include all of the groups that interacted form it.

The study of childhood in historical archaeology enriches interpretations of the past, but also has the potential for contributing to the understanding of methodological and theoretical issues in archaeology. Archaeologically, children are understudied relative to both their demographic and social importance, partly because children are viewed as difficult to discern in the archaeological record. Historical archaeology, with its access to historical documents to supplement and illuminate archaeological evidence, provides an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the ways children''s daily lives in the past were expressed in historically changing types and patterns of material culture. Recent research presented in this volume contributes valuable perspectives for conceptualizing the historically changing social nature of childhood and methods for illuminating the roles of children. Case studies are designed to illustrate methodological and theoretical advances in the historical archaeology of materialized experiences, discourses, identities, places and their meanings associated with parenting and childhood.

The volume is organized into three sections devoted to case studies about 1) how childhood and parenting have been socially constructed cross culturally and temporally, 2) social ideologies of childhood in contested spaces, and 3) the relationship between children''s experiences and adult expectations of childhood. Each chapter demonstrates advances in current methods or theories used in the archaeology of childhood. A final discussant, drawn from the broader field of research on the archaeology of childhood, provides a commentary on the ways the perspectives provided in the volume can be employed by researchers outside the sub-discipline of historical archaeology.