Date of Award
12-1995
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Anthropology
First Advisor
Dr. Michael S. Nassaney
Second Advisor
Dr. Ann Miles
Third Advisor
Dr. Peter Schmitt
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
The gardens, houses, and barns that comprise the cultural landscape embody information about their makers. Because the built environment is not static, it actively serves to create, reproduce, and transform relations of class and gender. Members of society use space to reinforce and resist relations of power, authority, and inequality. For example, the organization of the landscape facilitates the activities and movements of some segments of society, while at the same time it constrains others. Material dimensions of form and space are differentially acknowledged by members of society because individuals occupy multiple roles simultaneously. Material responses to the social world take various forms expressed in changing cultural landscapes. Historical investigations indicate that the village, region, and nation have experienced considerable changes since the mid-nineteenth century. Archaeological investigations provide evidence that, despite the transformation of American society at these multiple levels, there has been considerable continuity in class and gender relations at a residential homelot in Plainwell, Michigan.
Recommended Citation
Rotman, Deborah L., "Class and Gender in Southwestern Michigan: Interpreting Historical Landscapes" (1995). Masters Theses. 3952.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3952