Description
Book SynopsisThis book is a biography and reception history of the LithuanianâAmerican archaeologist Marija Gimbutas (1921â1994). It presents the first transnational account of Gimbutasâ life based on historical research, and an original examination of the impact of her ideas in various feminist contexts, both academic and popular.
At the core of this book is a success story of an Eastern European woman who survived both Soviet and Nazi occupations of her homeland, lived as a displaced person in postwar Germany, and built her career and scholarly authority within the androcentric American academia. At the same time, it is also a story of a controversy, which followed Gimbutasâ theory of Old Europe â a prehistoric civilization, characterized by peacefulness, egalitarianism, womenâs leadership, and the worship of the Great Goddess. First introduced in 1974, this theory inspired womenâs movements worldwide, but was harshly criticized by other archaeologists. This book examines the various int
