Reframing the past: Rewriting narratives of gender in Portuguese industrial archaeology. The case of the Robinson cork factory

This paper addresses the underrepresentation of women in Portuguese industrial archaeology through the case of the Robinson cork factory. Traditionally women’s roles in industrial environments have been overlooked, influenced, in Portugal, by the conservative mindset of the Estado Novo dictatorship, which promoted the idea that women belonged at home. However, despite this ideology, many women worked in industry due to economic necessity. By incorporating different types of sources and materials, and combining them with physical artefacts found at the archaeological site, this study aims to reconstruct the experiences of female workers. It challenges the binary gender narratives prevalent in Portuguese historiography and archaeology, and highlights the complexities of gender roles in industrial contexts. It supports a critical re-examination of historical sources and archaeological evidence to provide a more inclusive and accurate portrayal of women’s roles in industrial history.