Gender in Pre-Hispanic America : a symposium at Dumbarton Oaks, 12 and 13 October 1996

Gender in Pre-Hispanic America offers rich opportunities for comprehending current trends and considering future directions in research. It is unique in that it puts social theory at the forefront of the discussion. The book has a special intellectual presence and contemporary relevance in its engagement with the social lives and constructs of its authors and readers alike. The consideration of the role of gender in our daily lives, including in our professions, becomes inescapable when reading this book. It is not simply a question of men's roles having been possibly overemphasized and overstudied to the detriment of women's. The fact that genders, as opposed to sexes, are socially constructed categories focuses our attention on the ways in which these and other social constructs have shaped our present understanding of the past and informed past peoples' understand of their present. In various articles in this book, the reader will not find unanimity in what is meant by "gender" or how to go about studying it. What will be found, however, is a collection of interesting, informed, thought-provoking, and often lively essays. It is hoped that this volume will mark a stage in an evolving study of this field and provoke new research in the future.

Gender in Pre-Hispanic America offers rich opportunities for comprehending current trends and considering future directions in research. It is unique in that it puts social theory at the forefront of the discussion. The book has a special intellectual presence and contemporary relevance in its engagement with the social lives and constructs of its authors and readers alike. The consideration of the role of gender in our daily lives, including in our professions, becomes inescapable when reading this book. It is not simply a question of men's roles having been possibly overemphasized and overstudied to the detriment of women's. The fact that genders, as opposed to sexes, are socially constructed categories focuses our attention on the ways in which these and other social constructs have shaped our present understanding of the past and informed past peoples' understand of their present.

In various articles in this book, the reader will not find unanimity in what is meant by gender or how to go about studying it. What will be found, however, is a collection of interesting, informed, thought-provoking, and often lively essays. It is hoped that this volume will mark a stage in an evolving study of this field and provoke new research in the future.

Field knots and ceramic beaus: interpreting gender in the Peruvian early intermediate period / Joan M. Gero Asking about Aztec gender: the historical and archaeological evidence / Elizabeth M. Brumfiel Gender in Nahuatl texts of the early colonial period: native "tradition" and the dialogue with Christianity / Louise M. Burkhart Negotiating sex and gender in classic Maya society / Rosemary A. Joyce Andean androgyny and the making of men / Carolyn Dean None of the above: gender ambiguity in Nahua ideology / Cecelia F. Klein The concept of feminine places in Mesoamerica: the case of Xochitécatl, Tlaxcala, Mexico / Mari Carmen Serra Puche Physiology, production, and gendered difference: the evidence from Mixtec and other Mesoamerican societies / John Monaghan Breaking the glass ceiling: the strategies of royal women in ancient states / Joyce Marcus Epilogue: thinking about gender with theory and method / Margaret W. Conkey Conclusions: envisioning pre-Columbian gender studies / Cecelia F. Klein.