ANT 346: Gender in the Past
Defining Gender, Sex Fluidity, Sexuality
August 29, 2024
What is gender?
- Gender refers to the behavioral, cultural, psychological traits men,
women, or a range of other identities.
- As a process of social construction, it structures every aspect of our
lives because of its embeddedness in the family, workplace, the state,
language, and other realms of culture
How is Gender a social construction?
- Gender is a human invention, like language, kinship, religion and
technology
- It organizes human social life in culturally patterned ways
- Consequently, gender is not the result of natural, physical, or biological
differences
- Gender is not born, but made
What are gender roles?
- Socially recognized genders in society and the norms expected of
those genders
- Traditional western society recognizes two genders: men and women
- Some societies have a third gender one term for them is berdaches
(not acceptable term today)
o the term originally referred to biological males who behave,
dress, work, and are treated like women. They are sometimes
called “male woman”
- Some societies have a gender status sometimes called “manly
hearted” women. These are biologically females who work, marry and
parent as men. Their social status is “female men”, and they can take
wives.
- Third genders show us that people must learn to be women and men.
What is sex?
- Sex pertains to biological differences between bodies that are made up
of anatomy, genitals, fluids, hormones, chromosomes, and other
characteristics.
- It is viewed by some as a social construction because the criteria used
to establish sexual differences can be arbitrary and differ among
cultures.
Fuentes, “Biological Science Rejects Sex Binary”
1. Biological sex is not simply defined or uniform
2. Genitals, hormone levels, and chromosomes are not reliable indicators
of sex
3. Simple male/female binary does not reflect the normal range of being
human
What is sexuality?
, - Sexuality- refers to all kinds of sexual relations, including sexual
activities, eroticism, sexual meanings, and sexual politics.
- Sexual identity refers to any situation refers to any situation where
sexual practices contributes to the construction of an individual or
group identity
o Ex of sexual orientation includes, heterosexual, homosexual,
bisexual, asexual, pan-sexual, demi-sexual, among many others
Archaeology of Sexuality
- Barbara Voss discusses how sexuality was rediscovered y
archaeologists. She identifies four themes in the archaeology of
sexuality.
1. Reproduction management
2. Cultural practices that help to prevent or promote of conception
3. Representations – of bodies and sexual acts
4. Sexual Identities
Examples in the Past: Sex/Gender and Sexual Identities
1. Phallus Symbols in the Ancient and Classical Worlds
2. Pottery
3. La Tolita- Tumaco culture (600 BCE 400CE) in Ecuador, gender
characteristics from breasts to loincloths into a possible blend
transgender or nonbinary figure.
4. The Shakers- A Celibate community
- Prostitution:
1. 16th Century Brothel
2. 19th Century Brothel in NYC
What is?
- Feminism refers to a theory on the political, economic, and social
equality of all humankind;
- It also refers to the organized activity (social movements) geared
toward the equal rights of women.
1. The first wave feminism began in the 19th century until women
obtained the right to vote in 1919 in the US. (white woman)
2. Second wave of feminism began in the 1960’s concerned with
issues of female discrimination and continues today.
3. Third wave feminism began in 1990’s concerns with women’s and
gender issues globally. It embraces diversity and change. Many
advocates for this position feel second wave feminism primarily
benefits white, heterosexual middle-class women, not WOC , those
in developing countries or those in heterosexual relationships.
Is Feminism Dead?
What is post-feminism?
- Not a wave of stage of feminism, but a way thinking about how
feminism is changing or developing without resorting to generational
bickering between the waves of feminism.
What is Queer Theory?
, - Emerged in the 1990’s from the field of critical theory which critiques
culture and society
- It builds on feminist challenges to ideas that gender is fixed and on
gay/lesbian studies that sexuality is socially constructed.
- Explores categories of gender and sexual identity with the goa of
challenging heterosexuality as natural, normal, or has the highest
value.
- Proponents of Queer theory envisions a world where gender and sexual
identity are open and fluid and Lebling is considered destructive
Some challenges to studying gender and sexuality in the past:
1. When and under what circumstances did gender emerge?
2. Is gender dependent upon symbolic communication systems
(language)?
3. Can we understand gender and sexuality in the past without imposing
our present-day views on the past (presentism)?
Beyond Binaries: Third Genders
September 3, 2024
What are third genders?
- Cultural constructions of gender that recognize additional genders
apart from men and women
- Not the same meaning as transgender
- Not men or women, a third gender all together
o Some Polynesian societies traditionally had a gender category
loosely translated as half man and half woman
o In some native cultures, they believe there is not a clear
translation in the English language
Two Spirit People
- Concept found in many of the precolonial traditional societies of Native
American/ First Nation societies.
- They held important roles in traditional Native American cultures.
- Two spirit people have male and female within them, they are both.
o Gay is not an interchangeable term with two-spirit, though two
spirit people can be gay.
o Gay = sexual orientation; two spirit people embody two genders
Hijras of India
- Hijra refers to biologically male individuals who are not considered
male or female
- The recorded history of hijras goes back to antiquity, and they served
as culturally significant ritual performers
- They traditionally lived in communes and underwent an extensive
initiation process that included castration
- Today, hijras are often stigmatized and relegated to begging and
prostitution
Defining Gender, Sex Fluidity, Sexuality
August 29, 2024
What is gender?
- Gender refers to the behavioral, cultural, psychological traits men,
women, or a range of other identities.
- As a process of social construction, it structures every aspect of our
lives because of its embeddedness in the family, workplace, the state,
language, and other realms of culture
How is Gender a social construction?
- Gender is a human invention, like language, kinship, religion and
technology
- It organizes human social life in culturally patterned ways
- Consequently, gender is not the result of natural, physical, or biological
differences
- Gender is not born, but made
What are gender roles?
- Socially recognized genders in society and the norms expected of
those genders
- Traditional western society recognizes two genders: men and women
- Some societies have a third gender one term for them is berdaches
(not acceptable term today)
o the term originally referred to biological males who behave,
dress, work, and are treated like women. They are sometimes
called “male woman”
- Some societies have a gender status sometimes called “manly
hearted” women. These are biologically females who work, marry and
parent as men. Their social status is “female men”, and they can take
wives.
- Third genders show us that people must learn to be women and men.
What is sex?
- Sex pertains to biological differences between bodies that are made up
of anatomy, genitals, fluids, hormones, chromosomes, and other
characteristics.
- It is viewed by some as a social construction because the criteria used
to establish sexual differences can be arbitrary and differ among
cultures.
Fuentes, “Biological Science Rejects Sex Binary”
1. Biological sex is not simply defined or uniform
2. Genitals, hormone levels, and chromosomes are not reliable indicators
of sex
3. Simple male/female binary does not reflect the normal range of being
human
What is sexuality?
, - Sexuality- refers to all kinds of sexual relations, including sexual
activities, eroticism, sexual meanings, and sexual politics.
- Sexual identity refers to any situation refers to any situation where
sexual practices contributes to the construction of an individual or
group identity
o Ex of sexual orientation includes, heterosexual, homosexual,
bisexual, asexual, pan-sexual, demi-sexual, among many others
Archaeology of Sexuality
- Barbara Voss discusses how sexuality was rediscovered y
archaeologists. She identifies four themes in the archaeology of
sexuality.
1. Reproduction management
2. Cultural practices that help to prevent or promote of conception
3. Representations – of bodies and sexual acts
4. Sexual Identities
Examples in the Past: Sex/Gender and Sexual Identities
1. Phallus Symbols in the Ancient and Classical Worlds
2. Pottery
3. La Tolita- Tumaco culture (600 BCE 400CE) in Ecuador, gender
characteristics from breasts to loincloths into a possible blend
transgender or nonbinary figure.
4. The Shakers- A Celibate community
- Prostitution:
1. 16th Century Brothel
2. 19th Century Brothel in NYC
What is?
- Feminism refers to a theory on the political, economic, and social
equality of all humankind;
- It also refers to the organized activity (social movements) geared
toward the equal rights of women.
1. The first wave feminism began in the 19th century until women
obtained the right to vote in 1919 in the US. (white woman)
2. Second wave of feminism began in the 1960’s concerned with
issues of female discrimination and continues today.
3. Third wave feminism began in 1990’s concerns with women’s and
gender issues globally. It embraces diversity and change. Many
advocates for this position feel second wave feminism primarily
benefits white, heterosexual middle-class women, not WOC , those
in developing countries or those in heterosexual relationships.
Is Feminism Dead?
What is post-feminism?
- Not a wave of stage of feminism, but a way thinking about how
feminism is changing or developing without resorting to generational
bickering between the waves of feminism.
What is Queer Theory?
, - Emerged in the 1990’s from the field of critical theory which critiques
culture and society
- It builds on feminist challenges to ideas that gender is fixed and on
gay/lesbian studies that sexuality is socially constructed.
- Explores categories of gender and sexual identity with the goa of
challenging heterosexuality as natural, normal, or has the highest
value.
- Proponents of Queer theory envisions a world where gender and sexual
identity are open and fluid and Lebling is considered destructive
Some challenges to studying gender and sexuality in the past:
1. When and under what circumstances did gender emerge?
2. Is gender dependent upon symbolic communication systems
(language)?
3. Can we understand gender and sexuality in the past without imposing
our present-day views on the past (presentism)?
Beyond Binaries: Third Genders
September 3, 2024
What are third genders?
- Cultural constructions of gender that recognize additional genders
apart from men and women
- Not the same meaning as transgender
- Not men or women, a third gender all together
o Some Polynesian societies traditionally had a gender category
loosely translated as half man and half woman
o In some native cultures, they believe there is not a clear
translation in the English language
Two Spirit People
- Concept found in many of the precolonial traditional societies of Native
American/ First Nation societies.
- They held important roles in traditional Native American cultures.
- Two spirit people have male and female within them, they are both.
o Gay is not an interchangeable term with two-spirit, though two
spirit people can be gay.
o Gay = sexual orientation; two spirit people embody two genders
Hijras of India
- Hijra refers to biologically male individuals who are not considered
male or female
- The recorded history of hijras goes back to antiquity, and they served
as culturally significant ritual performers
- They traditionally lived in communes and underwent an extensive
initiation process that included castration
- Today, hijras are often stigmatized and relegated to begging and
prostitution
