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Accepted Paper:
Radical simply by existing: the traumatic impacts of sexism and misogyny on Dr. Marie Reay, a pioneering female anthropologist at the ANU
Erin Gates
(The Australian National University)
This paper will explore the impacts of sexism, misogyny, and general lack of early career support for female anthropologists, using Dr. Marie Reay’s career as a case study. Whom did the anthropological orthodoxy encourage and whom did it thwart?
Paper long abstract:
Over her career spanning more than five decades, Marie Reay came to be regarded as a well-respected figure in her field of Melanesian anthropology. However, Reay’s experiences with authority figures in academia are emblematic of a period during which, by simply existing within the department as a woman, her career in anthropology was radical, and during her lifetime her work was subsequently undervalued and undermined by many of her male colleagues. When Reay’s career began, while a female anthropologist was legitimized by male patronage, she was also, to varying degrees, both benefiting from and constrained by male protection. Reay certainly would have felt the pressure to conform to current norms within the discipline, or risk repercussions from her supervisors. This paper will investigate some alternative routes her work may have taken, document some instances of abusive treatment from her superiors and the long-term traumatic impacts of this poor conduct on her mental health, and, finally, articulate the complicated positionality of what it was to be a female anthropologist at the ANU during Reay’s career.