Archaeology, Politics, and Orientalism in the Frame of Gender: ‘‘Sexless’’ness of Gertrude Bell

Archaeology and politics have always interacted in history. Particularly in the East, orientalism has usually become an integral part of how the connections between them have been analyzed and interpreted. In this case, Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) from England became an unusual figure with what she did in Iraq during her stay in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Besides her duties in the British government regarding archaeological activities and political matters, gender issues turned out to be a significant part of her experiences as a female. Although she came from a wealthy family and was highly educated, she was always aware of the masculinity and its boundaries for women regarding her position. In an attempt to overcome such barriers and earn herself a place in men’s world, especially in the workplace, she thought of herself as ‘‘sexless.’’ Accordingly, she developed a unique personality that combines masculine and feminine characteristics. Furthermore, with an orientalist approach, she advocated the imperial policies of the British in Iraq regarding archaeology and politics. However, she also worked on the perception of cultural heritage for the Iraqi people. Following qualitative research methods and analyzing Bell’s letters and diary entries as primary sources, this paper aims to explore how Bell’s ‘‘sexless’’ness was shaped and how she dealt with archaeology and politics during her stay in Iraq in the first quarter of the twentieth century, focusing on the relationship between archaeology and politics through orientalism in the frame of gender.