Feminist archaeology for the present: Maintenance activities and social caring

This chapter introduces the notion of maintenance activities as an epistemological category that frames our approach to applied research as a feminist practice when exploring the past from and for the present. Drawing on the feminist political movement, we understand archaeology as a practice that develops forms of engendering research, practice, and behaviours in academic milieus. It also formulates new knowledge of the past that contributes towards changing patriarchal visions of the present through its implementation in education and heritage milieus by the Pastwomen network. Furthermore, this chapter incorporates the ethics of care as an ontological and epistemological notion that helps to better frame and complement the notion of maintenance activities. To illustrate this, some examples are provided from our research work in the fields of archaeology, heritage studies, and specifically, the dissemination project carried out by the Pastwomen network.