This new edition of the first comprehensive feminist, theoretical
synthesis of the archaeological work on gender reflects the extensive
changes in the study of gender and archaeology over the past 8 years.
New issues--such as sexuality studies, the body, children, and feminist
pedagogy--enrich this edition while the author updates work on the roles
of women and men in such areas as human origins, the sexual division of
labor, kinship and other social structures, state development, and
ideology. Nelson provides examples from gender-specific archaeological
studies worldwide to examine such traditional myths as woman the
gatherer, the goddess hypothesis, and the Amazon warriors, replacing
them with a more nuanced, informed treatment of gender based on the
latest research. She also examines the structure of the archaeology in
her attempt to understand and change a discipline that has made women
all but invisible both as researchers and objects of research. Honored
as a Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Book, Nelson's work will
continue to be the benchmark for archaeologists interested in gender as
a subject of research and in the profession.