Says ‘heteronormative interpretations’ hinder science
Scientific research should be “explicitly queer” and “unabashedly value-laden and political in its aims,” according to a Binghamton University archaeologist.
Nathan Klembara made the argument in his doctoral dissertation titled “The Status of Queer Theories in Archaeology: An Ethnographic and Philosophical Exploration.”
The New York public university scholar asks how researchers can “unshackle ourselves from heteronormative interpretations of the past if we have to assume that we were/are always right,” referencing what might be considered settled scientific findings.
“A queer approach to the philosophy of science and archaeology would demand that we shed epistemic realism; that we forgo the belief that we are always (or approximately) accurately portraying the past,” the archaeologist wrote further.
Scientists instead, he argues, should recognize that we might be wrong, even that we are likely wrong.”
They can then “use the values of radical queer politics to select those hypotheses that are supported by the evidence, but, more importantly, are also political, socially, and emotionally in line with queer politics.”
He did not respond to multiple emailed requests for comment in the past several weeks.
However, his approach drew criticism from an anthropologist and critic of wokeness in scientific research.
“Looking at the past through a ‘queer theory’ lens will not revolutionize archaeological methods or theories; it will destroy archaeology by turning it into identity politics,” Professor Elizabeth Weiss told The College Fix via email.
She is an accomplished anthropologist who also wrote a book called “On the Warpath: My Battles with Indians, Pretendians, and Woke Warriors.”
Klembara’s thesis asked two questions, both of which drew criticism from Professor Weiss.
His thesis asked:
(1) what is the status of queer people and queer ideas in archaeology, and how does the current composition of the field impact the production of queer vs. heteronormative knowledge;
and (2) how do we create more equitable and queer approaches to theorizing and doing archaeology?
However, Weiss said scholars should not be focused on promoting themselves and their desired viewpoints.
“Scholars entering the field of archaeology should be less interested in studying themselves and promoting their own ways of life — as is the case with queer theorists who are nearly always queer — and focus on the subject at hand: past people’s lives” she said.
Weiss explained the distinction between science and ideology, cautioning against politicalization. “Science is independent of who is studying it and independent of politics — it’s based on the concept of trying to figure out the world around us and doing so as objectively as possible,” she said. “In science, we try to find the truth, even if we never get there. So, the consequence of taking a ‘queer’ and ‘political’ approach is that you’ll end up not moving our knowledge forward.”
This political approach fuels cancel culture, Weiss said. San Jose State University effectively canceled Weiss after she criticized the repatriation of Indigenous artifacts.
Weiss told The College Fix: “When everything turns into activism, we lose our ability to think critically and a mob mentality can quickly arise, as we see with cancel culture attacks.”
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IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: An old skull in the dirt; Boris Hamer/Pexels