No Man’s Land or Neutral Ground: Perceived Gendered Differences in Ideologies of War

This article approaches gender in the Viking Age as a fluid social category, to be understood through an intersectional lens alongside other cultural variables. Using material from the Vestfold region, the article argues that the perceived genders encountered in mortuary remains from the area displ...

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Autor principal:	Marianne Moen
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	NB SV
Publicado:	Norsk arkeologisk selskap 2021
Materias:	Archaeology CC1-960
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/5baf8ba8184c47b0b9b42191f02467c8
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id	oai:doaj.org-article:5baf8ba8184c47b0b9b42191f02467c8
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:5baf8ba8184c47b0b9b42191f02467c82021-11-23T14:50:52ZNo Man’s Land or Neutral Ground: Perceived Gendered Differences in Ideologies of War10.5617/viking.90490332-608X2535-2660https://doaj.org/article/5baf8ba8184c47b0b9b42191f02467c82021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://journals.uio.no/viking/article/view/9049https://doaj.org/toc/0332-608Xhttps://doaj.org/toc/2535-2660 This article approaches gender in the Viking Age as a fluid social category, to be understood through an intersectional lens alongside other cultural variables. Using material from the Vestfold region, the article argues that the perceived genders encountered in mortuary remains from the area display a significant amount of social similarities. It therefore proposes to explore the expression of social roles across, rather than within gendered lines. The approach challenges the traditional tendency of dividing gendered archaeological remains based on a few, select categories singled out from the grave goods. It suggests that a more open approach would avoid overlooking real and tangible levels of shared expressions between graves assigned different gender in many mortuary contexts. The article challenges the idea of a Viking Age instigated by male violence and the interlinked belief that women are naturally less inclined to violence and more disposed to be nurturing and caring. These concepts are examined as modern constructs and as such they are not applicable to the past without scrutiny. I argue that the idea of a Viking Age warrior ideology, which leaves no room for women, is culturally ingrained and needs to be questioned in light of both archaeological material and written sources. By critically examining the ideas mentioned above, wider discussions can be created, where gender does not necessarily play a limiting role in the enactment of certain social ideologies. Hence, this article does not seek to detail the specifics of female involvement in war, but rather to explore the cultural contexts that have influenced perceptions of such participation. Marianne MoenNorsk arkeologisk selskaparticleArchaeologyCC1-960NBSVViking, Vol 84, Iss 1 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	NB SV
topic	Archaeology CC1-960
spellingShingle	Archaeology CC1-960 Marianne Moen No Man’s Land or Neutral Ground: Perceived Gendered Differences in Ideologies of War
description	This article approaches gender in the Viking Age as a fluid social category, to be understood through an intersectional lens alongside other cultural variables. Using material from the Vestfold region, the article argues that the perceived genders encountered in mortuary remains from the area display a significant amount of social similarities. It therefore proposes to explore the expression of social roles across, rather than within gendered lines. The approach challenges the traditional tendency of dividing gendered archaeological remains based on a few, select categories singled out from the grave goods. It suggests that a more open approach would avoid overlooking real and tangible levels of shared expressions between graves assigned different gender in many mortuary contexts. The article challenges the idea of a Viking Age instigated by male violence and the interlinked belief that women are naturally less inclined to violence and more disposed to be nurturing and caring. These concepts are examined as modern constructs and as such they are not applicable to the past without scrutiny. I argue that the idea of a Viking Age warrior ideology, which leaves no room for women, is culturally ingrained and needs to be questioned in light of both archaeological material and written sources. By critically examining the ideas mentioned above, wider discussions can be created, where gender does not necessarily play a limiting role in the enactment of certain social ideologies. Hence, this article does not seek to detail the specifics of female involvement in war, but rather to explore the cultural contexts that have influenced perceptions of such participation.
format	article
author	Marianne Moen
author_facet	Marianne Moen
author_sort	Marianne Moen
title	No Man’s Land or Neutral Ground: Perceived Gendered Differences in Ideologies of War
title_short	No Man’s Land or Neutral Ground: Perceived Gendered Differences in Ideologies of War
title_full	No Man’s Land or Neutral Ground: Perceived Gendered Differences in Ideologies of War
title_fullStr	No Man’s Land or Neutral Ground: Perceived Gendered Differences in Ideologies of War
title_full_unstemmed	No Man’s Land or Neutral Ground: Perceived Gendered Differences in Ideologies of War
title_sort	no man’s land or neutral ground: perceived gendered differences in ideologies of war
publisher	Norsk arkeologisk selskap
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/5baf8ba8184c47b0b9b42191f02467c8
work_keys_str_mv	AT mariannemoen nomanslandorneutralgroundperceivedgendereddifferencesinideologiesofwar
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No Man’s Land or Neutral Ground: Perceived Gendered Differences in Ideologies of War

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