Gender and Stereotypes
On April 13th, the project team of "Neanderthals & Us" once again met with the Citizen Scientists from Paleo Experts. The topic: Stereotypes about Neanderthals! Susan Peeters, who addresses this topic in her research at the University of Rotterdam (see also blog post Neanderthals as familiar strangers), had previously invited the Paleo Experts to describe a fictional encounter with Neanderthals. After Susan's succinct introduction to her current research, the group moved on to speed dating in the permanent exhibition: there, the museum's amiable Neanderthals with their audio guide stories awaited.
Following this, the first discussion between researcher and citizens took place: What ideas did the Paleo Experts bring regarding Neanderthal stereotypes before the workshop? How did this impression change after Susan's input and the encounters in the museum? Most Paleo Experts had a positive, friendly notion of such a hypothetical encounter and found this task interesting but challenging.
The atmosphere in the workshop was nuanced: the Paleo experts emphasized that there must have been many different stories about the encounters between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, and the mood of these encounters surely depended on the respective setting and individuals involved. Assuming a generally negative, aggressive, or generally positive, peaceful setting for thousands of years was questioned by the Paleo Experts: whether a very positive perspective might possibly cater to old extremes: a consistently negative image is just as unrealistic as a consistently positive one; both represent the same extreme black-and-white thinking.
That said, the Paleo experts emphasized that Neanderthals as Ice Age hunters and gatherers would hardly be frightened in an encounter in a past Stone Age world but would be much more confident in their familiar environment than we would be. Communication could certainly take place through gestures, facial expressions, and body language. Ice Age hunters and gatherers would also have a keen interest in avoiding serious injuries and conflicts. Furthermore, it was discussed that an Ice Age Neanderthal and an Ice Age Homo sapiens woman could certainly communicate more easily with each other than modern humans with someone from the Stone Age.
Ultimately, we encounter such alien encounters regularly in our diverse society today: every day, we meet people who differ from us in terms of appearance, clothing, tradition, language, lifestyle, or diet. Does a meeting with Neanderthals really differ so much from these modern encounters?
Following this, Susan once again contributed from her research on the topic of gender and representation of the past. In response to her input, we invited the Paleo Experts to review AI-generated texts curated by Susan about a fictional encounter with Neanderthals. How would the Paleo Experts, with their collected experiences and Susan's scientific input, change these stories? Did they find the narratives plausible? Did they encounter stereotypes that Susan had told us about? The Paleo Experts documented their feedback in mind maps.
The workshop with researcher Susan Peeters and the Paleo Experts has once again opened up many new perspectives on the Stone Age and Neanderthals. Susan Peeters will incorporate the jointly developed content into her doctoral project, among other things. On behalf of the museum, I thank both sides for the exciting, friendly, and active exchange!