Women, Fertility, and North American Archaeology

Women, Fertility, and North American Archaeology brings together more than three decades of Cheryl Claassen’s groundbreaking work on gender and archaeology. Featuring articles originally published between 1989 and 2023, the volume makes available the full scope of Claassen’s work related to Archaic and Woodland–era women in the Southeastern United States, women working as archaeologists, and the development of a gendered archaeological inquiry.

Organized in two parts, the collection begins with essays on the emergence of gender as an archaeological category and on the role of women in a field once dominated by masculine perspectives. The second half of the volume turns to archaeological explorations of women in prehistory, including women's labor, fertility, and ritual practices, and how these facets of life were linked to and influenced by the landscapes and resources of the time.

With introductions to each section that discuss the genesis of ideas and provide additional context for each paper, Claassen situates her work within the broader history of the discipline. Illustrated with thirty images and maps and including previously difficult-to-find articles, this volume is an essential resource for archaeologists, students of anthropology, and scholars of gender and women’s studies.