Finding gender and sexuality in Etruscan Italy: a tale of two concepts

Lucy Shipley

This paper introduces my doctoral research into issues of sexuality and gender in Etruscan Italy. If is centred upon the theoretical issues which have arisen throughout my first year of research. I attempt to arrive at a definition of the slippery term “gender,” something that many archaeologists have simply taken as a given. I will then discuss sexuality studies and their impact in archaeology, examining a seeming sense of ennui which appears to have developed in attitudes to gender studies. Following from this, I critique the paradigms and prejudices which have plagued the sub-discipline of Etruscology in particular, and which my own research seeks to actively combat. Finally, I will discuss my research aims for the following year, and my plans for active fieldwork and data acquisition to build on the theoretical frameworks presented earlier in the paper.