In this course, we will explore the ways that archaeologists have
approached the study of social identities of people in the past.
Through readings and discussions, we will focus on interconnected
dimensions of social identity, including age, class, gender, race,
ethnicity, and sexuality, how identity was experienced in the lives of
the people we study, and how archaeologists connect material phenomena
to the social experience of identity.  We will examine the theoretical
underpinnings and the historical basis for archaeologies of identity,
and try to connect ethnographic studies of identity with
archaeological investigation.  The readings in this course will
address the following topics in a weekly seminar format:

gender                     social stratification and class, or "
elites" and "commoners"
ethnicity                  neighborhoods, barrios, and communities
mortuary analysis          economic production and specialization
age-based difference       sexuality and sexual identities
food and identity          identity in the field and the ethics of
archaeological practice
language and literacies    race and nation in historical archaeology
house and household        narrative, dialogue, and archaeological
writing

Course grade will be based on participation and class preparation, and
three short writing assignments (two essays and a book review).

Prerequisites: This class is intended for undergraduate anthropology
majors and graduate students who have (at least) taken Anthropology P
200 or an equivalent class on the methods and theories of archaeology.
If you do not meet these criteria but are interested in taking this
course, please email the professor at kingsm@indiana.edu.