Sexuality Studies in Archaeology

TLDR

Archaeological studies of sexuality reveal a richly varied and complex past, informing state formation, subsistence, settlement, symbolic systems, and advancing theory on social identities and visual representations. The study aims to explore the application of queer theory as an archaeological methodology to investigate both sexual and nonsexual aspects. Queer theory serves as a methodological bridge linking sexuality research with broader social identity studies.

Abstract

Does sexuality have a past? A growing body of archaeological research on sexuality demonstrates that the sexual politics of the past were as richly varied and complex as those of the present. Furthermore, investigations of past sexualities have much to say about conventional archaeological topics such as state formation, subsistence and settlement systems, and the emergence and elaboration of symbolic systems, and they have made methodological and theoretical contributions to the archaeology of social identities and visual representations. To date, most research has clustered into five groupings: reproduction management, sexual representations, sexual identities, prostitution, and the sexual politics of institutions. The most intriguing new development is the growing application of queer theory as an archaeological methodology for investigating nonsexual as well as sexual matters. In particular, queer theory provides a methodological bridge between archaeological research on sexuality and research on other aspects of social identity.