Kaiser presents an intimate portrait of prominent and aspiring practitioners in the field of Classical Archaeology. This new edition expands not only the primary documentation behind Ellingson’s story but provides an update on the reception and impact of the first. An appendix on feminist 'waves' in archaeology further contextualizes the material and offers a brief introduction for those wishing to pursue the topic further.
This is the story of Mary Ross Ellingson, a twentieth-century archaeologist whose research was published by her dissertation advisor without acknowledgement. Although Ellingson specialized in a relatively arcane discipline, the challenges she faced as a female academic were (and still are) universal. Kudos to Alan Kaiser for bringing Ellingson’s story to light and righting to some degree the injustice. Written like a detective thriller and incorporating colorful quotes from Ellingson’s own letters, readers will find it difficult to put this book down.
In Archaeology, Sexism, and Scandal, Kaiser excavates layers of evidence substantiating that a celebrated classical archaeologist published his student Mary Ross Ellingson's thesis as his own. Kaiser's first edition ignited curiosity and outrage over this injustice and led others with direct knowledge to share what they knew. This updated second edition artfully weaves this new information into Ellingson's story and situates her life in the context of the feminist movement and the sexism women archaeologists face. Scholars hope their research will make a difference in their field and beyond. Kaiser succeeds as he rights an egregious wrong, celebrates Ellingson's significant archaeological achievements, and offers hope for those, like Ellingson, facing systemic sexism and other injustices. This book is a must-read.
Archaeology has many open secrets- including a long history of abuses of power that have systematically marginalized people based on their identities and relative status in the hierarchy of academia and fieldwork. Alan Kaiser’s committed and detailed scholarship of a previously forgotten personal archive reveals the specifics of one such case from the early 20th century. The case of Mary Ross Ellingson and the appropriation of her work by a renowned, senior, male archaeologist is presented in a rich and engaging narrative that invites a range of audiences to explore how such injustices have persisted in the field for generations. The second edition provides an illuminating account of how these revelations were received among classical archaeologists. Along with some powerful calls for justice and change, many of the responses demonstrated that many people holding positions of power in the field have at best, a deep ambivalence towards plagiarism and misogyny. The telling of Mary Ross Ellington’s story is not a mere historical anecdote, and instead serves as an illustration of the work that still needs to be done to make archaeology an inclusive, multi-vocal field.
His book represents, for me, a remarkable example of detective work, a form of modern archaeology.. . .Such prejudices about a woman's role in a research project no doubt remind you of the lot of the 'computers' at the Harvard College Observatory in the early 20th century.. . .Or perhaps they remind you of the fact that, in mid-century, women couldn't get time on certain large telescopes.. . .Or perhaps they remind you of the prejudices that still persist today but which seem to be losing their power.. . .In this review, I can only scratch the surface of Kaiser's marvelous dig into the past. Astronomers will surely enjoy reading it, especially those who may have to deal with stereotypes that still lurk to derail the unwary on the path to a full and rewarding career.
Status: A Report on Women in Astronomy
Kaiser is a good storyteller who touches on several important themes as he spins his tale…. Read it and see for yourself. You may not be able to put it down.
What difference do prominent thesis and dissertation advisors make as gatekeepers of social equity in their respective academic fields? Back in the 1920s and 1930s, the cultural anthropologist Franz Boas, a somewhat older contemporary of the classical archaeologist David M. Robinson, understood that master's thesis and doctoral dissertation advisors should nurture and empower their graduate students to produce and publish their own research.. .. Kaiser demonstrates that Robinson—professor of classical archaeology at Johns Hopkins University, ambitious excavation director at Olynthus from 1928 to 1938, and advisor of numerous master's theses and doctoral dissertations—stole the intellectual property of his advisee Mary Ross Ellingson on two separate occasions, once in 1933 and again in 1952.. .. Archaeology, Sexism, and Scandal should help give classical archaeology, and directed graduate fieldwork more generally, an even stronger impetus to make sure that graduate students, female and male alike, are empowered to realize their potential as the published and recognized authors of their research, not to have their intellectual property taken over by advisors and feel constrained to remain deferential about it. The experience of Mary Ross Ellingson is one life story that shows us why.
Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Ultimately, this is what makes Kaiser’s book so important. In exposing one particular case where a woman’s work was wrongly appropriated, Kaiser has drawn attention to a much more pervasive and everyday phenomenon: the comparative invisibility of women’s contribution to academic, investigative, and creative achievements. All of us part-time, intermittent, casual, paid or unpaid participants in academic research owe Kaiser a debt of gratitude. The initial reception accorded to his detective work is not encouraging, but now that Archaeology, Sexism, and Scandal has broken the ice, it is to be hoped that other previously invisible women contributors will be recognized for work which has, until now, largely been ignored.
Australasian Women in Ancient World Studies
An intriguing and important account from the recent history of Classical Archaeology which tells an (alas) all-too-common tale of graduate students having their ideas and work purloined by an unscrupulous professor. Unfortunately, dishonesty in archaeological research and publication continues to reap rewards even today...
Kaiser presents us with a book-length treatment, one that he hopes will encourage Classical archaeology to confront its past complicity with sexist attitudes, its conservatism inculcated through patronage, and its tacit acceptance of plagiarism. Kaiser’s blend of biography, critique and autobiography, all wrapped up in a detective novel, flows well. The volume is richly illustrated throughout with black and white photographs of the people, places, documents and events narrated.
In addition to serving the cause of justice, Kaiser also has written a captivating book that shows us how to write archaeological biographies that are not boring. This is not just a book about ethics in archaeology in the 1930s; it is also about academia and intellectual barriers in the 2010s that still consider 'biography' to be scholarship 'light'.. . Kaiser, to his credit, has given us a compelling and eminently readable book. It is also the sort of book that you keep thinking about long after you have finished it.
From the Archivist’s Notebook: Essays Inspired by Archival Research
The book has various strengths. The first one is the chronological arrangement of chapters, such that, we are first introduced to the life histories of the main characters, including the obstacles they faced in their career journeys. Second, the book is meant to motivate women to work even harder even where their efforts are not recognized. Even though Robinson did not acknowledge Ellingson, her works received very positive reviews. She contributed immensely in the field of archeology. The book is relevant to feminist scholars and practitioners in the sense that it acts as a source of encouragement. What is required in unveiling one’s potential is to stand by your ambitions despite external forces that discourage them.
Association for Feminist Anthropology
Kaiser’s book is an incredibly valuable and important contribution to the history of archaeology for several reasons. First, Ellingson’s letters vividly describe not only the daily lives of an archaeological team in the 1930s, but an important time in classical archaeology that saw a dramatic shift in excavation and recording methodologies. Ellingson’s account of the Olynthus excavations and her personal experiences in Greece provide the reader with a front row seat to observe archaeology’s history unlike any other. Second, Ellingson’s story reminds us of how far archaeology and science in general have come in terms of gender equality and acknowledging women’s contributions to their field. Ellingson’s passive acceptance of Robinson’s blatant plagiarism of her work might be casually dismissed as 'the way things were back then' by older generations, but would be utterly shocking to today’s younger generation of archaeologists. It is this shift in attitude away from a woman’s expected acquiescence and toward a unified condemnation that is most striking when examining the history of women in science. It is equally remarkable and evidence of how far the pendulum has swung toward gender equality in archaeology when it is a man who fought so tenaciously to give voice to Ellingson’s experiences. As a female archaeologist removed from Ellingson by two generations, Kaiser’s selfless determination is inspiring and greatly appreciated.
A must-read for anyone concerned with the often-untold history of women in academia. Like a detective, Kaiser carefully analyzes archival material to present a fully contextualized narrative of the excavations at Olynthus, Greece during the 1930s, and in so doing, reveals overt sexism and plagiarism, shocking to today’s sensibilities. Archaeology, Sexism, and Scandal is a major contribution to the history of archaeology and to Greek ethnography.
This is a thoroughly researched and fully documented tale—well worth the read! Writing with style and substance, Kaiser takes the reader to Greece and the excavation of a site well-known to modern archaeologists. Through his narrative, he examines the culture of classical archeology before and after World War II and demonstrates the disadvantages of being a woman in classical archaeology at that time.
[Archaeology, Sexism, and Scandal] offers a wealth of information on both the experience of archaeological excavation in Greece in the 1930s and on the experience of women entering academia in that period. Ellingson’s letters and observations are enjoyable enough on their own, but Kaiser has brought considerable scholarship to drawing together the context needed to understand her writing. The book is at its most entertaining when going into ethnographic detail of a young woman’s first dig; and most informative when bringing together the stories of many lives to draw a picture of the academic environment Ellingson would have encountered.
This fascinating book is partly a detective story in which Alan Kaiser relentlessly tracks down the appropriation of Mary Ross Ellingson’s intellectual property by David Robinson, her major professor, partly a recounting of the ways classical archaeology was practiced in the academic world of the 1930s, and partly an examination of Ellingson’s career, including the consequences of the theft of her work. The book is a good read as well as a mine of information about the history of classical archaeology, told in an engaging way. Probing the past of archaeological practice is priceless, especially examining the sexism which allowed the facile and guiltless stealing of the work of students, especially women, as if students in general and women in particular had no rights to their own intellectual property. The tale of a major archaeologist who published a woman student’s work under his own name should be more shocking than it is because women archaeologists have known variations of this practice (such as simply appropriating ideas) throughout our careers. But it says something important about the present that Kaiser found the incident appalling, and was courageous enough to follow the story from beginning to end in spite of road blocks set in his way, discussed in the final chapter. Few such thefts of intellectual property could be documented so completely. Thus this excellent and detailed work of investigation must stand for the experience of other students in an imperfect world of scholarship, not exclusively women…. We archaeological rogues who (with some trepidation) created the subfield of ‘gender in archaeology’ were perhaps successful in opening the field to the kind of detailed exploration of a single example of sexism and scandal exposed so cogently in all its facets in this excellent book.
Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies
Archaeologist Kaiser brings to life the story of Mary Ross Ellingson, a female practitioner of archaeology, and her scholarship—scholarship that was co-opted by renowned classical archaeologist David Robinson. The author highlights the scandalous plagiarism of the work stemming from Ellingson's dissertation. More important, however, Kaiser reveals how gender biases against women in many fields of science (hard and soft) rear their ugly heads time and again in insidious ways. This can be seen in the text from the narrative on Ellingson to the contextual summary of women in the sciences and their experiences and to Kaiser’s own experiences of rejection when attempting to publish an article on the plagiarism scandal. Kaiser adeptly reflects upon the norms of the time but also suggests that scholars should rethink the history of archaeology, including women in the narrative, such as Ellingson, who represent the 'feminine footprint.' As an archaeologist herself, this reviewer found much here to use in discussing gender and professionalization in science. Summing Up: Highly recommended. For classroom and personal reading, all levels.
A welcome addition to the historiography of women archaeologists, it also speaks eloquently to the ongoing debate on gender imbalance in academia and the workplace. Rigorous and informed, yet engaging and accessible, Kaiser’s book will appeal to specialists and lay readers alike…. Archaeology, Sexism, and Scandal chronicles Kaiser’s sobering discovery, his painstaking research to verify and contextualize it and the arduous process of its publication. Narrated largely in the first person and richly illustrated with photographs from Ellingson’s and Robinson’s archives, the story has the arresting immediacy of investigative journalism, touched by the special bond the author feels towards his ‘unsung heroine’ (sic). Kaiser plays to the popular stereotype of the archaeologist- as-sleuth, in order to maintain the suspense of a true story that matches any tale of archaeofiction…. Gender-sensitive historical accounts of American classical scholarship and Anglo- American archaeology anchor Ellingson’s case to a larger reality riddled with epistemological, social and ethical problems emanating from long-lasting bias. Four statistical graphs (figs 4.1–4) and a map of Greece (fig. 1.3) helpfully plot the observations. In addition to an excellent collective bibliography, each chapter is extensively annotated…. Repeatedly rejected by scholarly journals, Kaiser condemns the silent complicity of academics to wrong-doing, past or present. His validation came in the enthusiastic response from colleagues and community, including Ellingson’s daughter, and ultimately the publication of this fine book.
The Journal of Hellenic Studies
Archaeologist Kaiser brings to life the story of Mary Ross Ellingson, a female practitioner of archaeology, and her scholarship—scholarship that was co-opted by renowned classical archaeologist David Robinson. The author highlights the scandalous plagiarism of the work stemming from Ellingson's dissertation. More important, however, Kaiser reveals how gender biases against women in many fields of science (hard and soft) rear their ugly heads time and again in insidious ways. This can be seen in the text from the narrative on Ellingson to the contextual summary of women in the sciences and their experiences and to Kaiser’s own experiences of rejection when attempting to publish an article on the plagiarism scandal. Kaiser adeptly reflects upon the norms of the time but also suggests that scholars should rethink the history of archaeology, including women in the narrative, such as Ellingson, who represent the 'feminine footprint.' As an archaeologist herself, this reviewer found much here to use in discussing gender and professionalization in science. Summing Up: Highly recommended. For classroom and personal reading, all levels.
In addition to serving the cause of justice, Kaiser also has written a captivating book that shows us how to write archaeological biographies that are not boring. This is not just a book about ethics in archaeology in the 1930s; it is also about academia and intellectual barriers in the 2010s that still consider 'biography' to be scholarship 'light'.. . Kaiser, to his credit, has given us a compelling and eminently readable book. It is also the sort of book that you keep thinking about long after you have finished it.
From the Archivist’s Notebook: Essays Inspired by Archival Research
Archaeologist Kaiser brings to life the story of Mary Ross Ellingson, a female practitioner of archaeology, and her scholarship—scholarship that was co-opted by renowned classical archaeologist David Robinson. The author highlights the scandalous plagiarism of the work stemming from Ellingson's dissertation. More important, however, Kaiser reveals how gender biases against women in many fields of science (hard and soft) rear their ugly heads time and again in insidious ways. This can be seen in the text from the narrative on Ellingson to the contextual summary of women in the sciences and their experiences and to Kaiser’s own experiences of rejection when attempting to publish an article on the plagiarism scandal. Kaiser adeptly reflects upon the norms of the time but also suggests that scholars should rethink the history of archaeology, including women in the narrative, such as Ellingson, who represent the 'feminine footprint.' As an archaeologist herself, this reviewer found much here to use in discussing gender and professionalization in science. Summing Up: Highly recommended. For classroom and personal reading, all levels.
His book represents, for me, a remarkable example of detective work, a form of modern archaeology. . . .Such prejudices about a woman's role in a research project no doubt remind you of the lot of the 'computers' at the Harvard College Observatory in the early 20th century. . . .Or perhaps they remind you of the fact that, in mid-century, women couldn't get time on certain large telescopes. . . .Or perhaps they remind you of the prejudices that still persist today but which seem to be losing their power. . . .In this review, I can only scratch the surface of Kaiser's marvelous dig into the past. Astronomers will surely enjoy reading it, especially those who may have to deal with stereotypes that still lurk to derail the unwary on the path to a full and rewarding career.
Status: A Report on Women in Astronomy
In addition to serving the cause of justice, Kaiser also has written a captivating book that shows us how to write archaeological biographies that are not boring. This is not just a book about ethics in archaeology in the 1930s; it is also about academia and intellectual barriers in the 2010s that still consider 'biography' to be scholarship 'light'. . . Kaiser, to his credit, has given us a compelling and eminently readable book. It is also the sort of book that you keep thinking about long after you have finished it.
From the Archivist's Notebook: Essays Inspired by Archival Research
An intriguing and important account from the recent history of Classical Archaeology which tells an (alas) all-too-common tale of graduate students having their ideas and work purloined by an unscrupulous professor. Unfortunately, dishonesty in archaeological research and publication continues to reap rewards even today...
