#womeninscience

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Ed. note: After an early life on the move, Mihriban Özbaşaran’s family came to Istanbul, where she first  studied at Kadıköy Maarif College before beginning her career with  a BA in classical archaeology at Istanbul University. Prehistory held greater appeal however, and she completed her graduate work in the Department of Prehisoty, having been taught by TrowelBlazers Halet ÇambelandUfuk Esin. As a student of Ufuk, she dug at Değirmentepe and Aşıklı Höyük; she then directed excavations at the sites of Musular and sections of the world famous UNESCO heritage site of Çatalhöyük(whereShahina Farid also worked).  She became director of the Aşıklı Höyük Research Project and carried on the revolutionary legacy of the project, bringing in modern theoretical approaches and analyses despite criticism . Professor Özbaşaran is part of a long line of TrowelBlazing women, and her dedication and research have inspired this wonderful group guest post from her students, colleagues, and those who have had the chance to sit with her on the dig house porch  in the long evenings of the field season.

It is my absolute  pleasure to introduce you to someone who has made a massive contribution to my own my research career at Aşıklı Höyük, and continues to inspire others.

-Brenna

Mihriban Özbaşaran

“Someone will hear you, if you are brave enough to speak out loud in the silence of emptiness.” - Althusser

Turkey is a place where endless layers of the past are stacked on top of each other. Unfortunately, archaeology cannot make the most of this rich heritage using only outdated theoretical perspectives of material cultural; the use of a Culture-Historical approach in archaeology has set limits on our understanding of this rich history. Under such conditions, it is refreshing to know that a woman archaeologist has dedicated her career to bringing academic freedom and equality as well as a modern theoretical interpretive approach to archaeology in Turkey.

Mihriban Özbaşaran has given 40 years of her life to archaeology. She is one of the most important TrowelBlazers alive and has become one of the most prominent members of the discipline. Besides directing the research team in the oldest settlement of Central Anatolia, at Aşıklı, Özbaşaran is recognised for her resolve to include theory, interpretation, and question–driven research in archaeology. With her endless idealism, she believes that archaeology may offer a different path or a new approach to issues that concern society. Her aim is to make archaeology an integral part of society, and relevant to a wider community, through the production of knowledge, sharing, and collaboration. Despite opposition, she has stood up for the ideal of connecting the practice and theory of archaeology with wider contemporary social and political trends in the environment in which archaeology is carried out. As a result of her idealistic nature, she prefers inclusiveness to the traditional hierarchical relationships that can exist on excavations, and has created an environment at Aşıklı Höyük Project for people to connect and collaborate. Mihriban Özbaşaran has always been welcoming to people, whether they are researchers concerned about professional issues or others that come to her with daily matters, as long as they want to participate in this environment.

The Aşıklı Höyük Project has not only been exploring and publishing a 10,000 year old history of the first sedentary societies, their social, cultural, and economic transformations, but it hasalso become a school where students are trained with a collective mindset that emphasises collaboration and relevance to wider society, rather than a strictly hierarchic team structure. This approach is what is needed in today’s academia. As an academic who has struggled against established dogmas and their limitations, she has dedicated 25 years to Aşıklı Höyük Project while establishing bonds between local society and communities with the academic archaeological excavation; in addition to training students in a collaborative fashion. In doing so, Mihriban has always stressed whys and hows of the discipline, and has taken the practice of archaeology in Turkey to a whole new level by bringing inclusiveness and sharing to the forefront. These qualities make her a prominent archaeologist, and a TrowelBlazer both in Turkey and in the world.

Mihriban Özbaşaran

“Boşluğun sessizliğinde yüksek sesle konuşma yürekliliğini gösterirseniz birileri sizi mutlaka duyar.” -Althusser

Türkiye geçmişin üst üste, adeta sonsuza dek tabakalandığı sıradışı coğrafyalardan biridir. Ne yazık ki arkeoloji bu muazzam potansiyeli yeterince iyi kullanamamaktadır. Kültür tarihçiliğin karanlık dehlizlerinde, elinden hiç düşürmediği materyal kültür öğeleriyle varlığını sürdürme ısrarı arkeolojiye ihtiyacı olan özgürleşmeyi verememektedir. Böylesi ortamlarda akademik özgürlüğü ve eşitliği savunan, yorumlayıcı bir arkeoloji anlayışı için mücadele eden, üreten birilerinin, bir kadın arkeoloğun olduğunu bilmek gelecek adına önemlidir.

Mihriban Özbaşaran 40 yılını arkeolojiye vermiş, yaşamakta olan en önemli kadın arkeologlardan biridir. Araştırma ve derslerine teorik, yorumlayıcı yaklaşımları nüfuz ettirme biçimi, çalışmalarını sorular çerçevesinde sürdürme özeninin yanı sıra Orta Anadolu’nun en eski yerleşmesi Aşıklı’da başkanlığını yapmakta olduğu çalışmalarla saygın bir figürdür Özbaşaran.

Bitmeyen idealizmi ve inancı ile arkeolojinin toplumsal bağlamda bir program, ya da yeni bir yol sunabileceğini düşünür. Bilgiyi üretme, paylaşma ve dayanışmanın temel ilke olduğu, toplumsal yaşamla bütünleşmiş bir arkeoloji anlayışı için mücadele eder.

Arkeolojik bilgi üretiminin sosyal, toplumsal ve politik bağlamla ile örülü olduğunun ısrarla inkar edildiği bir akademik ortamın içinde mücadele eden bir kadındır.

İdealizminin nihai sonucu, çok seslilikten beslenen, hiyerarşik ilişkileri alt üst etmiş, insanı ve kültürü kendi bağlamında anlayabilen bir ortamın yaratıldığı Aşıklı Höyük Projesi olmuştur. Ve bu ortamın kapısını aralamak isteyen, kafasında sorular ve gerek Türkiye bağlamında mesleğin kendisine gerekse de içinde yaşanılan topluma dair dertler ile gelen herkes Mihriban Özbaşaran tarafından büyük bir idealizm ve kapsayıcılık ile karşılanır.

Aşıklı Höyük Projesi’nde, bölgenin 10.000 yıllık tarihini ve ilk yerleşik toplulukların sosyal, kültürel ve ekonomik dönüşüm ve değişim süreçlerini anlamak ve anlatmak bir yana, Mihriban Özbaşaran’ın en büyük katkısı belki de bilgi ve emek hiyerarşisi olmaksızın kolektif bilim yapmanın, paylaşımcılığın ve mesleği toplumsallaştırmanın nasıl olacağını öğrettiği öğrenciler yetiştirerek farklı bir ekol yaratması olmuştur ve esasen bugün kolektif zekanın yegane üretim alanı olan akademik dünyanın temel ihtiyacı da budur.

Türkiye arkeolojisinin ve akademinin tüm açmazları, engelleri ve dogmaları ile savaşan bir arkeolog, eğitimci ve bilim insanı olarak, 25 yılını verdiği Aşıklı Höyük Projesi ile arkeolojiyi yaklaşımsal olarak insan ve topluma yani ait olduğu bağlama yerleştiren, öğrencilerine geçmişin bugün için anlamını ve yaptığımız işin niyesini, nasılını öğreten, bilimsel bilgi üretimini yalnızca “hocalara özgü bir ayrıcalık” olmaktan çıkaran, bilgisini ve tecrübesini paylaşmaktan asla kaçınmayan Özbaşaran, başta kadın arkeologlar olmak üzere Türkiye ve Dünya arkeolojisi adına güçlü ve önemli bir figürdür.

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Thank you so much to the wonderful team at Aşıklı Höyük for submitting this beautiful guest post! To learn more visit http://asiklihoyuk.tumblr.com/ or follow them on Twitter @ah_arkeoloji

Valerie L. Thomas is a physicist and inventor, best known for her creation of the illusion transmitter, for which she holds the patent, while working for NASA in the 1970s-80s.

This technology uses two concave mirrors to create 3D optical illusion images, which has been adapted for use in surgery imaging as well as the television and film industry.

During her 30-year career at NASA Valerie Thomas oversaw multiple innovative projects, including the creation of the Landsat program, the longest-running enterprise to obtain satellite imagery of Earth.

Her expertise and creative thinking have advanced our understanding of the universe and influenced the construction of imaging technology that remains impactful to this day.

Dr. Minnie Joycelyn Elders is an army veteran, pediatric endocrinologist, and public health administrator who was appointed the first African American Surgeon General of the United States by Bill Clinton in 1993.

Her outspoken views on female reproductive rights and science-based sex education in high schools made her a controversial public figure, prompting massive backlash from conservative parties of the time.

After her resignation as Surgeon General in 1994, Elders returned to her former position as professor of pediatric endocrinology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences where she is currently a professor emeritus and remains active in public health education.

You can learn more about Dr. Elders in her 1996 autobiography, Joycelyn Elders, M.D.: From Sharecropper’s Daughter to Surgeon General of the United States of America.

Hey all! It’s February which means it’s time for our annual #BlackHistoryMonth⁠ ⁠scientist highlights!

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Check back routinely to learn more about the wonderful contributions made by black scientists!

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To start us off, meet Dr. Joan Murrell Owens, a scientist, educator, and marine biology enthusiast! Pursuing her passion for the ocean, Dr. Murrell investigated different coral species, specifically deep-sea button coral. Working at the Smithsonian, Joan identified a new family of corals, the Rhombopsammia genus, and discovered three new button coral species.