Studying Gender in the Ancient Near East

This volume explores how the interpretation of material from the ancient Near East is enriched through the application of diverse methodological and theoretical approaches to studying gender. The contributors to this collection include both established and up-and-coming scholars whose work brings gender studies theoriesfrom Butlers theory of gender as a performance to more recent theories that consider gender as a spectrumto bear on varied materials and contexts. Their essays increase the visibility of women in ancient history, untangle constructions of masculinity and femininity in diverse contexts, and grapple with big-picture questions, such as the suitability of applying third-wave or postfeminist theories to the ancient Near East. Studying Gender in the Ancient Near East points to a need forand provides a model ofa more productive agenda for gender studies in furthering our understanding of ancient Near Eastern societies. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Julia M. Asher-Greve, Stephanie Lynn Budin, Megan Cifarelli, M. rica Couto-Ferreira, Amy Rebecca Gansell, Katrien De Graef, Amlie Kuhrt, Stephanie M. Langin-Hooper, Brigitte Lion, Natalie N. May, Beth Alpert Nakhai, Martti Nissinen, Omar NShea, Mara Rosa Oliver, Frances Pinnock, Eleonora Ravenna, Allison Karmel Thomason, Luciana Urbano, Niek Veldhuis, and Ilona Zsolnay.