Feminist Data Science in Archaeology
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13085477 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Carrie Heitman (0000-0002-2137-8462, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 152-157 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Advances in Archaeological Practice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2326-3768 • E-ISSN: 2326-3768 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/aap.2025.10144 |
| OpenAlex | W7131182589 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 24 |
Overview This digital review examines how feminist data science can inform, challenge, and reshape archaeological knowledge production in an era of expanding digital data infrastructures. Beginning with a historical analysis of the term “feminist” in American Antiquity , I demonstrate that although feminist perspectives have appeared consistently over four decades, such engagement remains limited in scope. Drawing from this context, I argue that the proliferation of online, publicly accessible archaeological datasets requires renewed feminist and decolonial scrutiny. I situate these challenges within broader conversations around FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and CARE (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, and Ethics) principles, Indigenous data sovereignty, and moderated openness, highlighting tensions between expanding digital access and resisting colonial datafication. Intersectional feminist data science, particularly the framework proposed by D’Ignazio and Klein (2020), offers actionable principles for confronting inequities embedded within archaeological data structures. I illustrate these principles through a multimodal collaborative project with the Pueblo of Zuni and the Hopi Tribe, which uses film-based storytelling to reframe relationships to ancestral collections and places. The article concludes with a reflection on citation inequities and disciplinary gatekeeping, underscoring how digital data practices can either reproduce or dismantle structural biases. I argue that transforming archaeological data science requires collective courage and sustained commitment to feminist, Indigenous, and community-engaged approaches that expand the inclusivity and ethical integrity of our field
Cognitive reframing · Digital Storytelling · Discipline · Ethnography · Feminism · Fieldnotes · Indigenous · Storytelling · Technoscience · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies
Data Feminism
Archaeogenomic evidence reveals prehistoric matrilineal dynasty
The Care Principles for Indigenous Data Governance
The Fair Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship
New Digital Worlds
Difficult Heritage and the Complexities of Indigenous Data
The Digital Black Atlantic
A Standard for the Scholarly Citation of Archaeological Data as an Incentive to Data Sharing
Will It Ever Be Fair
The Care Principles and the Reuse, Sharing, and Curation of Indigenous Data in Canadian Archaeology
Beyond Leaky Pipelines
Tdar
A Systems-Thinking Model of Data Management and Use in US Archaeology
Indigenous Science for a World in Crisis
Self-Citation in Archaeology
Is archaeology a science? Insights and imperatives from 10,000 articles and a year of reproducibility reviews
Feminist Science and Chacoan Archaeology
Gendered Citation Practices inAmerican Antiquityand Other Archaeology Journals
A New Radiocarbon Database for the Lower 48 States
A Feminist Critique of Chacoan Archaeology
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |