Undulating women and erect men
Visual imagery of gender and progress in illustrations of human evolution
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2163000 |
|---|---|
| Authors | M G Wiber (0000-0002-6764-0067, University of New Brunswick, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1994 |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-20 |
| Publication date | 1994-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Visual Anthropology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0894-9468 • E-ISSN: 1545-5920 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/08949468.1994.9966633 |
| OpenAlex | W2090351863 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 16 |
One branch of Western visual representation where the female nude is to be found has been under‐represented in the recent feminist analysis of gender and art. This paper deals with representations of gender attributes and roles found in educational and quasi‐educational illustrations. It examines several illustrations in the field of paleo‐anthropology to show how gender and racial stereotypes and evolutionary “progress” are common themes in a genre of visual imagery designed as much to reinforce as to educate. The paper demonstrates how these themes are interrelated through prevalent Western logical constructs of “woman is to nature as man is to culture.” It also shows how a subtle, negative shift has occurred in such illustrations in recent years in response to the “Woman the Gatherer” debate; this shift involves a significant “eroticization” of the female images. The paper concludes that educational illustration is a field particularly relevant to feminist critiques of Western, racial and cultural stereotypes in visual representation, and needs to be critically evaluated if it is to play a role in the discipline
Field (mathematics · Political science · Representation (politics · Sociology · Architecture, Art, Education · Gender Studies · Historical Gender and Feminism Studies · Psychology · Social Sciences and Humanities
Myths of sexuality
Monuments & maidens
Human origins
The Female body in western culture
TWO. Original Narratives
Five. Baboons with Briefcases vs. Langurs in Lipstick
Gender at the Crossroads of Knowledge
The Anatomy of Gender
Gender and Anthropology
Women in Evolution. Part I
Bones of contention
Women, Culture and Society
The Body as a Medium of Expression
The Female Nude
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,07 |
| Citation span | 1996 - 2022 (27) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |