This volume documents feminist, intersectional activism in archaeology since 2010, highlighting online and transient spaces. It captures insights from 43 archaeologists, documenting positive changes and providing a resource for ongoing advocacy against gendered inequalities and violence.
A powerful wave of feminist, intersectional, anti-harassment, anti-discrimination activism has swept archaeology and heritage since at least 2010, and unlike any other time in archaeology's short history, much of this has taken place online. In some places this has created a space to have open conversations that previously only existed in whisper networks, meaning that sexism, misogyny and harassment can no longer be ignored or dismissed. This has forced our sector to listen, and organisations have had to confront hard truths and, in some instances, begin to make changes to their practice. As this volume shows, the picture is not necessarily consistent or global, but none the less the ubiquity of social media has brought activism around gendered inequalities and violence against women and minorities to the fore in archaeological practice around the world. Yet the activism that has unfolded over the last fifteen years has almost always occurred in temporary, transient spaces, through social media, conference sessions, symposia and protests. This means there have been few permanent spaces where this important work and its impacts have been documented. This volume transforms that picture, bringing together the insights of 43 different archaeologists to provide a permanent record of this work, sharing good practice and highlighting positive changes. In doing so, it both captures a moment in time, documents positive changes, and provides a resource to enable practitioners to continue to advocate for transformation in their own context.
Definitions
Organisations, Groups, Social Media Communities, Hashtags and Abbreviations
Mentioned in This Book
Acknowledgements
Section
1. Setting the Scene: Documenting Activism, Creating Change
Chapter
1. Documenting Activism and Creating Change: Why Here? Why Now?
Introduction to the Volume Hannah Cobb and Kayt Hawkins
Chapter
2. Archaeologists, Activists, and Angry Trolls: Using Social Media
for Digital Activism in Archaeology Alex Fitzpatrick
Chapter
3. Illustrating the Voices of Female Archaeologists Rita Pedro
Section
2. Raising Awareness: Highlighting Harassment
Chapter
4. From the Balkans to the Rest of Europe and Beyond: Raising
Awareness about Harassment, Assault, Bullying, and Intimidation (HABI) in
European Archaeology Laura Coltofean and Bisserka Gaydarska
Chapter
5. Serbian Archaeology and the Rise of the Awareness of Sexual
Assault Radmila Balaban, Monika Milosavljevi and Tanja Ignjatovi
Chapter
6. The Role of Small Groups in Big Issues. The Work of the
Archaeology and Gender in Europe Community in the European Association of
Archaeologists Bisserka Gaydarska and Laura Coltofean
Chapter
7. #everyDIGsexism and Everything After Hannah Cobb
Chapter
8. A Peruvian Feminist Archaeology? An Initial Assessment Carito
Tavera Medina
Chapter
9. Turkish Archaeology and Activism Yamur Heffron and Elif Koparal
Section
3. Online Activism: Creating Communities, Challenging Norms, Driving
Change
Chapter
10. Forging Online Queer Activist Communities in a Time of Social
Media Disintegration Nathan Klembara
Chapter
11. Feminist Resistance in Archaeology: The Cases of France and
Belgium Laura Mary, Béline Pasquini and Ségolčne Vandevelde
Chapter
12. Acting Against Sexual Harassment in UK Archaeology: The RESPECT
Campaign Kayt Hawkins and Cat Rees
Chapter 13. #ExcavationInProgress: Insights and Experiences of Sexism and
Sexual Harassment from the Archaeological Sector in Gender Equal Sweden
Liv Nilsson Stutz, Petra Aldén Rudd and Ingrid Berg
Chapter
14. Mentoring: Women in Archaeology and Heritage. The Positive Power
of Social Media within Womens and LGBTQIA+ Spaces. Ruth Humphreys, Amy
Talbot, Rosie Loftus and Alex Grassam
Chapter
15. TrowelBlazers as a Noun and a Verb: Online Activism through
Sharing Histories of Women in Archaeology Brenna Hassett, Rebecca Wragg
Sykes, Suzanne Pilaar Birch and Victoria Herridge
Section
4. Activism in the Workplace: Disrupting Structures of
Discrimination
Chapter
16. Future Challenges for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment in
Spanish Archaeology Coto-Sarmiento, Pastor Pérez, Yubero Gómez and Zarzuela
Gutiérrez
Chapter
17. Union Activism and #MeToo in UK Contracting Archaeology Jessica
Bryan, Penelope Foreman, Isobel Phillips and Sadie Watson
Chapter
18. Making a Difference Together: Unionism, Archaeology and Change
Over Time Megan Schlanker and Jane Evans
Chapter
19. In Pursuit of Systemic Equality: The UKs First Network for
Ethnically Diverse Staff in Development-led Archaeology Shantol Campbell,
Veronica Abadie, Rosanna Volpe and Sara Perry
Section
5. Commentary and Conclusion
Chapter
20. Strategies and Tactics for Addressing Interpersonal Abuses of
Power in Archaeology: A Commentary on Documenting Activism, Creating Change:
Archaeology and the Legacy of #MeToo Barbara L. Voss
Hannah Cobb is a Professor of Archaeology and Pedagogy. She has led numerous EDI initiatives including #everyDIGsexism and the CIfA Equality and Diversity Group (2015- 2022). She has published extensively on teaching and learning in archaeology, including "Assembling Archaeology: Teaching, Practice and Research" (OUP, 2020) and the textbook "Archaeology: An Introduction" (6th ed, 2024). Through her teaching, research and leadership she passionately advocates for inclusion, equity and diversity in the past, present and future.
Kayt Hawkins is an archaeologist with over 25 years experience working and publishing within UK developer-led archaeology. A founder member of the RESPECT campaign, she regularly engages with, and advises on, EDI initiatives, such as the CIfA Qualitative Inequalities Research. Kayt is also a Deputy Commissioner (England) for the Archaeo-Sexism exhibition, having secured funding for the exhibition in the UK, and has co-organised sessions at both UK and European conferences on the prevention of harassment.
