Amazons among us: Reflections on creating the heroines we need now

Abstract

This article describes my recent carved wood sculptures of warrior women as a response to and reimagination of historical and mythological accounts of Amazons. I emphasize aspects of queerness and gender non-conformity in the figurative sculptures through iconographical details. This body of work is grounded in readings of classical mythology and popular culture, as well as reference to historical Amazons and women warriors in African and Indian cultures.

Keywords:

• Amazons
• women warriors
• gender stereotypes
• sculpture
• women’s sexuality

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Walter Penrose, Jr. and Sarah Breitenfeld for co-organizing “Queer Representations and Receptions of Amazons” a Lambda Classical Caucus session at the Annual joint meeting of the Society for Classical Studies and the Archaeological Institute of America in 2022. Portions of this paper first appeared in my presentation “What Do We Call Courageous Women?”.

I am additionally appreciative of Walter Penrose Jr. for editing this special issue of the Journal of Lesbian Studies and of the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful and encouraging feedback. Any errors that remain are, of course, my own.

*Brandeis University Women’s Studies Research Center provided partial funding for my travel expenses related to my attendance at the 2022 joint meeting of the Society for Classical Studies and the Archaeological Institute of America.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Donna Dodson

Donna Dodson is an American sculptor based in Boston, MA. Currently she is a Scholar at the Brandeis University Women’s Studies Research Center, a visual arts Fellow at the St. Botolph Club in Boston and a former Fulbright US Scholar in Vienna Austria.