Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Kultur-, Sozial- und Bildungswissen­schaftliche Fakultät - Institut für Archäologie

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin | Kultur-, Sozial- und Bildungswissen­schaftliche Fakultät | Institut für Archäologie | Archäologie und Kulturgeschichte Nordostafrikas | Veranstaltungen | Konferenzen | Gender, social group and (self)-representation. Intersectional identities in IIIrd - early IInd millennium BCE Egypt, Nubia and Near East

Gender, social group and (self)-representation. Intersectional identities in IIIrd - early IInd millennium BCE Egypt, Nubia and Near East

Gender, social group and (self)-representation

Intersectional identities in IIIrd - early IInd millennium BCE Egypt, Nubia and Near East

May 15-17, 2025

International workshop organized by Romane Betbeze

 

Venue of the keynote: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Main Building, Westwing, Room 2091-2092.

Venue of the workshop: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Main Building, Westwing, Room 2095A. 

This on-site workshop is dedicated to exploring the construction and expression of both individual and collective identity, with a specific emphasis on gender, in ancient Egypt, Nubia and Near East, focusing on the period of the IIIrd – early IInd millennium BCE. The invited scholars will question these issues, building specifically upon the feminist theory of intersectionality.

In this methodological framework, first developed by Crenshaw (1989) and more recently by Collins (2019), identity is to be understood as the intersection of multiple parameters in a given society, such as gender, status, social community or group, ethnicity, age, physical condition, among others. Intersectionality has recently been implemented in archaeological disciplines, as this critical social theory helps scholars to look at documentation differently and to focus on the multiplicity and complexity of identities, in both modern and ancient societies.

In this context, this workshop will address especially (but not exclusively) the intersections of gender(s) and social group(s), as well as the representation and reflection of these intersections in material culture. The following research questions will be considered:

  • To what extent did these parameters and their intersections contribute to the construction of individual and collective identities?
  • How were they depicted and expressed in the material culture (texts, images, and archaeological material)? How did they interact?
  • More specifically, how were gender norms nuanced and influenced by the expression of other components of individual or collective identities in material discourses?

In addition, this workshop will provide an opportunity to discuss the adaptation or integration of intersectionality and other non-Egyptological methodological frameworks (especially those stemming from gender studies) into Egyptology, and a substantial part of the workshop will therefore be devoted to discussion.

The event will open with a keynote lecture by Uroš Matić (University Alliance Ruhr, Essen / University of Graz): “Palimpsests, diagrams and interweaving experiences: Intersectionality and studies of gender in ancient Egypt”, on May 15 at 18:00, in Room 2091-2092.

Please kindly note that attendance at the keynote lecture is free. For the following two days, due to a limited number of seats in room 2095A, registration is required (please send an email to: romane.betbeze@hu-berlin.de).

 

Link to the poster

Link to the programme