Diversity in Visual Representations of the Past: Representation Matters(Themes in Contemporary Archaeology)

This volume presents an overview of the diversity - or lack thereof - in visual representations of the European past that are found in archaeology, museums, and media. While publications discussing gender stereotypes in European archaeological media exist, other identities remain underrepresented - namely, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), those with visible and invisible disabilities, and very young and very old. This volume offers insight into these gaps in European media and archaeology, while also providing alternative explanations for interpreting these often-stereotyped identities and methodologies for inclusion. The chapters within this volume are divided into four themes.Themes cover the development of images of the past and discusses how images are chosen in museums. The book identifies who is missing in images of the past, with topics on representing individuals with disabilities/children in museums, the Other in Roman art, and Scythians in museums and books and critiques approaches to representation and diversity in media, such as in textbooks, popular media, and children’s books. Finally, the book challenges the lack of diversity and a proliferation of stereotypes in images of the past and asks, how do we improve on them and create new ones. Overall, this book addresses the need for diversity in images, both within academic archaeology and with the broader public.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. Representation Matters: How Diverse is Our Visual Representation of the De Facto Past? ( Scheyhing et al.).- Chapter 2. Critical Approaches to Visual Representation in Archaeology: The Pastwomen Project (Masriera-Esquerra et al).- Chapter 3. Bringing Invisible People to the Fore: New Approaches to Representations of the Palaeolithic Era in Museums (Karkazi).- Chapter 4. Who is Who in Roman Foreign Affairs: Long-lasting Strategies of Marginalizing the Southeast (Adlung-Schoenheit).- Chapter 5. On Selected Visualizations of Scythian Nomadic Horse Riders in Exhibitions and Associated Catalogues (Iwe).- Chapter 6. Dehumanization, Stereotyping, and Essentialism: Othering in School Textbooks (Foldøy).- Chapter 7. Archaeological Representations of Visual Fiction: The Past as Represented in Star Wars (Annis).- Chapter 8. Visualizing the Role of Past Women as Artists: A Proposal From the Arsmaya Research Group (Vidal-Lorenzo et al.).- Chapter 9. What is Wrong With This Image? Reflecting on Past Diversity Through Visual Representations of Gender Stereotypes in Archaeology (Coltofean et al).- Chapter 10. Conclusion: Towards Diverse Representation in Archaeology (Matias et al.).

About the Author :
Jo Zalea Matias is an Adjunct Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Social Science at Wilbur Wright College, Chicago, USA. Her research interests include gender and identity in Iron Age Britain and France and gender in popular media and academic representations of the past. She is a Principal Investigator on the New Light on Old Sites project. Nicola Scheyhing is Magister of Prehistoric Archaeology working at the Arche Nebra Visitor Centre in Germany as Project/PR Manager. Additionally, she researches and publishes as an independent researcher on topics such as storytelling and science communication, the materiality of rituals, and burial related materials of the prehistory of Southwestern Asia and Central Europe. Doris Gutsmiedl-Schümann is a qualified (habil.) senior research fellow at the Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, Freie Universität Berlin. Her research interest include lifeworlds, gender roles, and identity; visual representations of the past; the archaeology of death and burial; as well as methods of didactics and higher education in current archaeological study programs.