From Leaky Pipelines to Watering Cans

Authors

• Samantha Fladd, Washington State University PullmanFollow
• Sarah Kurnick, University of Colorado Boulder
• Laura E. Heath-Stout, Stanford University
• Nala K. Williams, Yale University
• Sarah Simeonoff, University of Colorado Boulder
• Sasha Buckser, University of Colorado Boulder
• Katelyn J. Bishop, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Scott R. Hutson, University of KentuckyFollow
• Jessica MacLellan, Wake Forest University
• Marie Matsuda, ERO Resources Corporation
• Sarah E. Oas, Sarah Oas Paleoethnobotanical Consultant LLC
• Jocelyne M. Ponce, Tulane University
• Bruno Athie Teruel, Independent Researcher
• Jaycee Castro, Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc.
• Breeanna Charolla, Independent Scholar
• Adriana M. De León, University of the Valley of Guatemala
• Luisa Escobar Galo, University of the Valley of Guatemala
• Lydia D. Evans, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Isabella N. Garcia, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Kelsey Hoppes, University of Colorado Boulder
• Elena Lompe, University of Colorado Boulder

Abstract

Despite improvement over the past few decades, particularly for white, cisgender women, intersectional gender-based inequality remains prominent within anthropological archaeology and beyond. Building on critiques of the leaky pipeline metaphor laid out in the introduction to this themed issue, and drawing on Black, Indigenous, and Posthumanist Feminisms, we advocate for a metaphorical shift focused on care, inclusivity, and diversity—that of a garden. The garden metaphor provides a way to express and explore the complex and intertwined ways disciplinary norms, institutions, and individuals structure and shape experiences in archaeology. After reviewing the garden metaphor and summarizing previous suggestions for improving equity in archaeology, we present recommendations for actionable steps at disciplinary, institutional, supervisory, and individual levels. Drawing on insights from the articles in the issue, as well as existing literature within and beyond archaeology, we argue that a greater emphasis on care, and its integration into the value structure of archaeology, would create a more inclusive discipline.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-1-2026

Notes/Citation Information

Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for American Archaeology.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1017/aap.2025.10137

Archival?

Archival

Repository Citation

Fladd, Samantha; Kurnick, Sarah; Heath-Stout, Laura E.; Williams, Nala K.; Simeonoff, Sarah; Buckser, Sasha; Bishop, Katelyn J.; Hutson, Scott R.; MacLellan, Jessica; Matsuda, Marie; Oas, Sarah E.; Ponce, Jocelyne M.; Teruel, Bruno Athie; Castro, Jaycee; Charolla, Breeanna; De León, Adriana M.; Galo, Luisa Escobar; Evans, Lydia D.; Garcia, Isabella N.; Hoppes, Kelsey; and Lompe, Elena, "From Leaky Pipelines to Watering Cans" (2026). Anthropology Faculty Publications. 35.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/anthro_facpub/35