Wikipedia:WikiProject Raising Representation
Raising Representation
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About
[edit]Studies have shown a considerable Gender bias on Wikipedia and that Wikipedia and repositories of crowd sourced information are skewed towards straight, white, able-bodied, men from the Global North. If you take a look, you will find Wikipedia entries in Archaeology and in Classics are no different. The archaeological profession also lacks diversity, despite the existence of a diverse student body[1][2]. This means that Wikipedia perpetuates already significant inequities in archaeology and classics, and students who are not straight, white, cis men, without disabilities, often struggle to see role models and career possibilities, or feel they have agency to change this.
The first iteration of the Raising Representation project ran throughout the academic year 2024/2025 (and continues in subsequent years in the University of Manchester course "Doing Archaeology 2", and in the Raising CAHAE's Representation Project - see below), addresses these problems by raising representation and recentring student agency in diversifying archaeology, and our sister subjects of Classics, Ancient History and Egyptology, by running a series of Wikipedia editathons with University of Manchester students.
In 2024/2025 we presented our initial work to staff and students at the UoM at International Women's Day event on 5th March 2025. However, to truly empower students and make structural change, it is essential that this work extends beyond the University and into the professional arena. Consequently, this project supported our students to lead an editathon and present their findings at the annual Chartered Institute for Archaeologists 2025 conference and in an editathon in conjunction with Historic England.
Subsequently student interns for the project wrote an article on all of the project's findings, published in the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists The Archaeologist publication. The full reference is:
Daud, M., Green, E., Plummer, R., Usher, A., Vitagliani, M. C., Wise, W., and Bhatti, L. 2025. ‘Raising Representation’. The Archaeologist Issue 126 (Autumn 2025). Reading: Chartered Institute of Archaeologists. Pp 19-21.
Raising CAHAE's Representation
[edit]In 2025/2026, building on the work of the first year of the Raising Representation Project, the CAHAE Society, along with staff members Hannah Cobb and Julene Abad, were funded by the University of Manchester School of Arts Languages and Cultures Social Responsibility Fund to run a series of events to raise the representation of women, past and present, in the Department of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology (CAHAE). This project will have three events...
- Event 1, Public Research Seminar on Histories of CAHAE Women, Tues 3rd Feb 5-6pm Ellen Wilkinson C1.18, all welcome
Our opening event will explore the Histories of CAHAE Women, with talks from Joyce Tyldesley (Egyptology), Peter Liddel (Classics and Ancient History), and John Piprani (Archaeology). There will also be food and drinks.
- Event 2, Wikipedia Editathon, Weds 4th Feb 2-5pm in Mansfield Cooper 2.01
Our second event is a Wikipedia Editathon for staff and students, where we will work together in a computer cluster to build Wikipedia pages for CAHAE women past and present. You don’t need any experience of Wikipedia editing, or a laptop, or any background knowledge on women who have worked in CAHAE (though attending event 1 will provide some helpful inspiration!). We will provide all the training and support you need! Food and drinks will be provided.
- Event 3, International Women’s Day celebration, Weds 25th Feb 3-6pm in Nancy Rothwell Blended Theatre 1 (GA.056)
Join us for our final event to celebrate International Women’s Day and the women of CAHAE, with a guest speaker, presentations from the editathon, as well as talks given by three women of the CAHAE department to talk about their career paths. Food and drinks will be provided. Please sign up HERE
Funding
[edit]In 2024/2025 Raising Representation was supported by funds from the University of Manchester Faculty of Humanities Social Responsibility in the Curriculum fund, a School of Arts, Languages and Cultures Social Responsibility Fund award, and a WikimediaUK [Grant].
In 2025/2026 Raising CAHAE's Representation has been supported by grant from the University of Manchester School of Arts, Languages and Cultures Social Responsibility Fund.
Meetups
[edit]In the academic year 2024/2025 we had four editathons:
- Meetup/Raising Representation, November 2024
- Meetup/Raising Representation CAHAE event, February 2025
- Meetup/Raising Representation CIfA, April 2025
- Meetup/Raising Representation Historic England, May 2025
In the academic year 2025/2026 our editathons are:
- Wikipedia:Meetup/Raising_Representation_DA2_25_26, October 2025
- CAHAE Soc International Women's Day Editathon, 4th February 2026, 2-5pm
Pages we have created
[edit]- Sonya Atalay
- Laurie Burgess
- Rachel Crellin
- Vicki Cummings (archaeologist)
- Hannah Fluck
- Pen Foreman
- Pieta Greaves
- Cheryl LaRoche
- Jacqueline McKinley
- Robina McNeil
- Jean Sassoon
- Kisha Supernant
- Claire Taylor (historian)
- Sadie Watson
Pages we have edited
[edit]- Janet Gourlay
- Owen Hurcum
- Alexandra Jones (archaeologist)
- Margaret Murray
- Gertrude Caton Thompson
- Ruth Tringham
- Tessa Wheeler
- Selma Al-Radi
- Kayt Hawkins
- Kate Clark (archaeologist)
- Lisa Westcott Wilkins
Pages we suggest need creating
[edit]If you are logged in, you can create the article by clicking on the red link below:
Articles which could be added to
[edit]If you don't want to create or draft a new biography, here are some examples of existing articles (ordered alphabetically by surname) which could be added to with further research:
- Selma Al-Radi
- Crystal Bennett
- Kate Clark (archaeologist)
- Pen Foreman
- Aileen Fox
- Janet Gourlay
- Kayt Hawkins
- Owen Hurcum
- Alexandra Jones (archaeologist)
- Kathleen Kenyon
- Margaret Murray
- Jean Sassoon[5]
- Grace Simpson
- Sharon Sullivan
- Kisha Supernant
- Gertrude Caton Thompson
- Sadie Watson
- Tessa Wheeler
- Lisa Westcott Wilkins
References
[edit]- ^ Cobb, H., L. 2015. 'A diverse profession? Challenging inequalities and diversifying involvement in British archaeology'. In P. Everill and P. Irving (eds.) Rescue Archaeology: Foundations for the Future. Hereford: RESCUE. Pp.226-245
- ^ https://profilingtheprofession.org.uk/
- ^ Anon (2023). "Katharine MacDonald: A Burning Light in Prehistory". trowelblazers.com.
- ^ Anon (2022). "Kary Dimas: Following the footsteps of the first Mesoamericans". trowelblazers.com.
- ^ Anon (2017). "Jean Sassoon". trowelblazers.com.