Queer archaeology is an approach to

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

that uses queer theory to challenge normative, and especially

heteronormative Heteronormativity is the concept that heterosexuality is the preferred or normal mode of sexual orientation. It assumes the gender binary (i.e., that there are only two distinct, opposite genders) and that sexual and marital relations are most f ...

, views of the past. Queer archaeology does not attempt to look for past examples of homosexual people, of other

sexual orientations Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generally s ...

or alternative

gender identities Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the i ...

in history, or to explain the origin of these concepts. What it does intend is to favor a critical point of view and escape from the normative and binary assumptions of the predominant archaeological discourse. In this last point, queer archaeology coincides with

feminist archaeology Feminist archaeology employs a feminist perspective in interpreting past societies. It often focuses on gender, but also considers gender in tandem with other factors, such as sexuality, race, or class. Feminist archaeology has critiqued the u ...

. This does not only represent a look at women from the past or an introduction of this gender in the interpretations of the past, but also and above all to challenge the sexist values of archaeological interpretations.

Difference between feminist, gender, and queer archaeology

Feminist, gender and queer archaeology were appearing as an evolution of one another, and were influenced by different social movements such as the

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

movement or the

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

movement.

Feminist archaeology

The first of the three that appeared was

, because of the symbiosis with all the feminist movements that emerged during the 20th century throughout Europe and the United States. This had the merit, for the first time, to criticize and question the practice of bringing current values (regarding gender roles) to the past, both consciously and unconsciously, in archaeological researches. Furthermore, feminist archaeologies tend to try to answer questions such as: has gender inequality always existed or is it a historical product? Or, more broadly, are social inequality and exploitation inherent to humanity or are they the result of historical transformations?

Gender archaeology

Gender archaeology Gender archaeology is a method of studying past societies through their material culture by closely examining the social construction of gender identities and relations. Gender archaeologists examine the relative positions in society of men, w ...

appears as a reaction to the previous approach and focuses on offering information on gender, without other political connotations. Also, sometimes, this is disconnected from the initial feminist approach, offering more freedom when making interpretations. Gender and feminist archeology are sometimes used synonymously, reversed in their meanings, or studied together. This means that the difference between the two is, many times, not defined and conditioned by the opinion of each archaeologist.

Queer archaeology

Queer archaeology arose thanks to the appearance of queer theories and as a criticism of the two previous ones, in their use of gender / sex equality, the non-contemplation of different cultures, ethnicities and social classes, and their Eurocentric vision. It also defends that the great variety of social identities and the questioning of concepts such as family or family unit must be considered.

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