The Intersections of Labour Division - An intersectional archaeological and osteological study of labour division, based on the Ljungbacka grave field in Scania, Sweden

Abstract: This thesis, The intersections of labour division – an intersectional archaeological and osteological study of labour division, based on the Ljungbacka grave field in Scania, Sweden, has been written with the intention of exploring new ways to approach, interpret and understand labour division. This has been done by practically applying intersectional theories to the Ljungbacka grave field, Lockarp parish, Scania by analysing the grave goods in correlation with the osteological results, with a focus on not only biological sex, but also on age, corporeality and status. The questions asked were: is it possible to discern division of labour by looking at a diverse set of posts within a dataset, such as sex, age, skeletal changes and grave goods, focusing on intersectionality?; what types of labour division can be discerned by analysing the Ljungbacka grave field?; and what can an intersectional perspective add to the research regarding labour division? The results of the analysis show that it is possible to discern division of labour by looking at diverse posts within a dataset with intersectional perspectives, but that it has its limitations. The main correlation between the labour indicative grave goods and the interred individual, seem to lie not in biological sex, but instead the social status of the interred. This has shown that an intersectional perspective can help researchers disconnect from their own biases regarding the perceived notion of labour being directly connected to biological sex.