Gender Identity in Prehistorical Women

Some scholars we have read have argued that gender identity is not always synonymous with physicality or sexuality. What do they mean? Illustrate your argument with information from our readings, lectures, and videos.

Gender is a way of dividing people into groups. Gender is a performance; it is a behavior using material culture within a space. It is based on some perceived biological realities considered important. Gender is structured into social categories. Sex is a category of the bodies while gender is a category of a person. For example men can play women's roles but it has nothing to do with homosexuality. That category did not even exist but the desire did. Like the ancient Greeks, the may have performed the act but the name did not exist. Homosexuality was a 19^th century invention to control people's behavior. In the Miati tribe men played women's roles, they married older and wiser males. In an article by Crass, there is a practice in East Greenland where the children are raised and trained as the opposite sex. This practice is used to balance the unequal sex ratio between the children. Gender does not have to do with biology or sexuality but can depend on the society because some roles can be seen as masculine or feminine. It depends on the people to choose what person does what role. Gender can be about power; the relationships are in hierarchical order or complimentary.

As we have discussed, there are many ways of knowing the past- with science being the accepted method in anthropological archaeology. How does a scientific study of the past differ from knowing the past by other means such as revelations or feelings? In your discussion make sure to consider the debates about the "Goddess" at Catalhoyok between the archaeologists and the "New Age" adherents.