Hello,

Hoping for ideas and suggestions from the histarch community:

I'm in a cave archaeology research group at the moment consisting of emerging scholars (all women) with a wide variety of archaeology and anthropology specialities.  We have been discussing ways to continue our work beyond the current field season with some sort of activism or outreach around women in archaeology, science, and exploration.  We're still in the early stages of this and our initial emphases are twofold.   We want to show that women can be and are active in field sciences and 'hardcore' exploration.  At the same time, we'd like to subvert the idea that we should be highlighted as 'women scientists' in the first place, as opposed to simply 'archaeologists,' 'scientists' or 'explorers.'  Those may be competing goals but we feel that both sides are significant.

I'd appreciate any advice, discussion or suggestions (on or off list) about framing these ideas, outreach strategies, experiences you have had with similar initiatives, existing programs, etc.  My colleagues are putting out similar messages on listservs in their own specialty areas. 

Let me just add that some of the initial media coverage of the Rising Star Expedition, at least here in South Africa, was truly appalling (and inaccurate) from a gender perspective.  Our focus, though, is how we might be able to challenge what we perceive to be persistent gender expectations in our various fields and to support young women with interests in science, exploration and archaeology.  

Thank you!

Becca Peixotto
MA, Public Anthropology (Historical Archaeology)
American University, Washington, DC