Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Dig Sites and Domesticity: Jessie Camp and the 1947 University of California Africa Expedition

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/wd376356h

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  • In 1947, scientists from the University of California departed for a fifteen-month expedition to Africa. Jessie Camp, wife of the head paleontologist Dr. Charles L. Camp, had no official position on the expedition. Yet in performing her traditional domestic duties, she greatly contributed to the overall success of the expedition. I argue that the wives of field scientists offered a unique, intangible, and unpaid form of labor in the production of scientific knowledge on expeditions that should be recognized and counted among the other forms of ‘women’s work’ and invisible labor in science. Camp directly influenced the scientific sphere, directing expedition team members, altering the field site, and assisting in scientific work. Camp aided the expedition in their attempts to assert dominance over African people and the environment while framing their work as a benevolent intervention. Her role as Dr. Camp’s wife put her in a diplomatic position where she helped foster a collaborative relationship between the Americans and South African scientists, politicians, reporters, and patrons. Camp’s story expands our understanding of women’s work in science by illustrating the myriad of ways women assisted in the production of scientific knowledge from the periphery.
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  • Ongoing Research
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  • 2021-03-19 to 2023-04-20

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