Beyond Fear of Heights: a high altitude archaeologist´s perspective on fear and anthropology

MARÍA CONSTANZA CERUTI

Congreso; 2019 American Anthropological Association/CASCA Annual Meeting; 2019

American Anthropological Association

Fear can be both, creative and destructive. Fear of heights is only one of the many kinds of fears that come into play in the praxis of a high altitude archaeologist working on the summits of the Andean mountains. The extreme natural environment of the high peaks -with conditions of hypoxia, low atmospheric pressure, high winds and freezing temperatures- contributes to augment the list of fears with concerns about snow-storms, lightning and the ever present risk of acute mountain sickness, pulmonary edema, disability and frostbite. However, being the first woman in this line of research and having spent twenty some years in the field, I have come to the conclusion that the worse kind of fears to be faced are rooted in the uncertain political and economical dimensions of the social environment, as well as in toxic academic practices and discourses that turn anthropological praxis into (yet another kind of) survival ordeal. This presentation will focus on the creative role of fear in the practice of high altitude archaeology and its destructive role in connection with issues such as the denigration of anthropology/archaeology as a scholarly discipline, and the invisibility of women in science.