THE INTERPLAY OF EVIDENTIAL CONSTRAINTS AND POLITICAL INTERESTS - RECENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON GENDER - COMMENT

Alison Wylie (1992) provides an important discussion about the contrib ution of feminist research in archaeology by arguing that a feminist p erspective can lead to a better, more rigorous science of archaeology. Her article inspires comment in three areas. First, the diversity wit hin feminist theory and practice is emphasized by describing liberal, separatist, and socialist perspectives and how they might manifest the mselves in archaeology. Second, the historical and political context o f gender ideology and metaphor in the development of Western science i s noted. The apparent need for feminist theory to defend its appropria teness is tied to this context. Third, feminist theory must, and will, rehabilitate the structure of that historically and politically const ituted science.