In the history of Chinese archaeology, despite the significant contributions of women in Chinese archaeology since the early 20th century, the discipline’s historical narrative has remained predominantly male-centric, with women’s voices seldom featured in mainstream discourse. Although women have played a vital role in fieldwork, museums, and other research institutions, their contributions have largely been marginalized within the field’s discourse. Over the past decade, limited studies have been dedicated to the history of female archaeologists, and most research on women in Chinese archaeology remains observational. This paper advocates for the development of a more equitable and pluralistic methodology that re-examines the role of women in the discipline highlighting their overlooked contributions. Using an intersectional approach, this paper explores the contributions of female archaeologists, focusing on how factors like class, identity, and gender shaped their integration into the field. Through documentary and oral history methods, this study examines the barriers that have hindered women’s progress and seeks to dismantle these invisible obstacles. This work is part of the Herstory project (ref. PID2023-149477NB-100).

Keywords: Women’s history, Chinese archaeology, intersectionality, gender studies

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https://www.saa.org/annual-meeting

https://arqueologas.es/saa-2025-sesion-arqueologas