bluehairedpossum wrote: ↑Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:42 am
Most of the accusations focus heavily on her clothing, but those claims are usually made by Americans, and people who don’t take into account that things such as leather boots, linen or toned down colors are genuinely useful tools to dealing with the difficult conditions of the field.
The misconduct sh*t is almost 10 years old now and is honestly some stone cold tea, or maybe I’m too European to see why it’s still relevant today (speaking of which, there’s even a Yale News article in which Egyptology students complain about how Yale handled the situation and some apparently dropped out after the guy’s suspension because there was literally nobody left to teach them).
(...)
The whole situation smells of Americentrism to me (similarly to Americans getting offended over cultural appropriation when countries they’re offended for don’t really care).
Yes, there are some materials and colors that work well for whatever conditions you may find yourself in, but as a modern person doing a modern job you want to be careful not to dress like a parody of your profession. The more vintage pieces you wear, the closer you get to being seen as a dilettante.
Personally, I'm okay if she dresses as a twenties flapper or twenties archaeologist at home, but it gets weird when she does it in Egypt.
The misconduct was significant. I am a fan of Mary Beard, the Classics prof you see on British television, but I cringed hard when she said she didn't see anything wrong with sleeping with one's professor. She learned so much while having romantic flings with her professors. I couldn't help thinking of the poor woman or man sitting next to her in class who didn't get her special advantages. Well, you might say that Mary Beard was from another era, but this stuff has to stop sometime.
I don't know how Yale handled it, but it did need to be handled. Power differentials in relationships, abuse of position, giving jobs and influence to your girlfriend, are outdated. The fact that there was no fresh young scholar to be hired in his place may be because of similar abuses across the field. The tea may be cold, but it's still tea.
As to Americentrism, doing the right thing is hard. It's easier to take a stand if people around you are also doing it. I'm sure there are pockets of progressive people in all countries, but you hear loud, even thoughtful, discussion about it from the Americans on the internet. It is also the case that when people are trying to figure out how to change the status quo for the better, other people are trying to shut them down by exaggerating the things they say and claiming hypocrisy. I'm just saying you shouldn't dismiss the clamor as something stupid.
