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Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2003

Genevieve Fisher  and
Diana DiPaolo Loren
Genevieve Fisher
Affiliation:
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge MA 02138, USA.
Diana DiPaolo Loren
Affiliation:
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge MA 02138, USA.
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Abstract

This article provides a brief overview of recent archaeological literature about bodily constructions of identity. We introduce themes of embodiment, landscape, appearance, representation, and symbolism and discuss how presentations of the body are used to construct identities in social contexts. By focusing on the ways in which individuals create and experience themselves through their bodies, archaeologists are better able to comprehend them as culturally-specific, multiply-constituted social beings. The presentation of self can then be used to interpret the social and physical aspects (gender, race, religion, sexuality, age, etc.) that are key to the construction of identities in everyday life.

Keywords

embodimentbodies and archaeology
Type
SPECIAL SECTION: Embodying Identity in Archaeology
Information
Cambridge Archaeological Journal , Volume 13 , Issue 2 , October 2003 , pp. 225 - 230
Copyright
2003 The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research

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