- Field Notes: A Journal of Collegiate Anthropology
Department of Anthropology
390 Sabin Hall
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414.229.4175
fldnotes@uwm.edu
http://studentorgs.uwm.edu/org/asu/FieldNotes
- Social and Cultural Anthropology, Physical Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, Museum Studies, Medical Anthropology, Human Evolution, and 13 moreArchaeology, Anthropology, Gender, Anthropology of Food, Prehistoric Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, Forensic Anthropology, Osteoarchaeology, Public Archaeology, Bioarchaeology, Applied Anthropology, and Socio-Cultural Anthropologyedit
- Aims and Scope: Field Notes: A Journal of Collegiate Anthropology recognizes that the research conducted by students ... moreAims and Scope:
Field Notes: A Journal of Collegiate Anthropology recognizes that the research conducted by students throughout the course of their undergraduate and graduate education is a valuable resource. Therefore, Field Notes exists to give students of Anthropology a forum to showcase original, high quality scholarship. The journal is reviewed, edited, and published entirely by Anthropology students and is sponsored by the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee’s Anthropology Student Union (ASU). The ASU more broadly exists to serve anthropology students by encouraging interaction across the four subfields of anthropology in both professional and social environments.
2015–2016 Editorial Information:
Published by the Anthropology Student Union (ASU) at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, USA
Editors-in-Chief
Lara Ghisleni
Lindsey Jo Helms Thorson
Jessica Skinner
Editorial Committee:
Sarah Boncal, Ashley Brennaman, Heather Brinkman, Shaheen Christie, Christopher Cooley, Andrew Dicks, Josh Driscoll, Todd Ebling, Adrienne Frie, Kevin Garstki, Stephan Hassam, Alexis Jordan, Laya Liebeseller, Victoria Pagel, Aurora Prehn, Cheri Price, David Strange
Occasional Reviewers:
Karen Esche-Eiff, Katinka Hooyer, Anika Jones, Sarah Smith
Editorial Board
William Balco, Benjamin Campbell, Matt Dalstrom, Jen-Li Ko, and Amy Samuelsonedit
Field Notes: A Journal of Collegiate Anthropology recognizes that the research conducted by students throughout the course of their undergraduate and graduate education is a valuable resource. Therefore, Field Notes exists to give... more
Field Notes: A Journal of Collegiate Anthropology recognizes that the research conducted by students throughout the course of their undergraduate and graduate education is a valuable resource. Therefore, Field Notes exists to give students of anthropology a forum to showcase original, high quality scholarship. The journal is reviewed, edited, and published entirely by anthropology students and is sponsored by the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee's Anthropology Student Union (ASU). The ASU serves anthropology students by encouraging interaction across the four subfields of anthropology in both social and professional environments.
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Abstract: The analysis and subsequent disentanglement of human skeletal elements from commingled or mixed burial contexts is an essential step in creating individual identifications of those individuals represented in these burials. This... more
Abstract: The analysis and subsequent disentanglement of human skeletal elements from commingled or mixed burial contexts is an essential step in creating individual identifications of those individuals represented in these burials. This work is integral to the overall goal of using methodologically robust techniques to contextualize and represent individuals recovered in archaeological or forensic settings. A suite of commingled burial analysis methods are cur-rently used to achieve this goal. These methods are essential to the field, but can still introduce error. To provide additional lines of evidence to support these analyses, this study investigates the efficacy of a three-dimensional pair-matching technique, using a NextEngine™ scanner and both open source and proprietary software to test two methods of mesh-to-mesh value comparison for reliability and replicability.
Keywords: Commingled Analysis, Pair Matching, Three-Dimensional
Scanning, NextEngine
Keywords: Commingled Analysis, Pair Matching, Three-Dimensional
Scanning, NextEngine
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Abstract: Results from past studies noted that the carnivore digestion process results in the enlargement of foramina and expansion of Haversian canals within bones. However, it is not known whether acid erosion from soil pro-duces... more
Abstract: Results from past studies noted that the carnivore digestion process results in the enlargement of foramina and expansion of Haversian canals within bones. However, it is not known whether acid erosion from soil pro-duces similar signatures. Although bones are oftentimes found within soil matrices, some at highly acidic levels, and the time spent therein undoubtedly affects the preservation and appearance of the remains, these taphonomic effects are still poorly understood. Most studies on bone surface modification focused on how soil affects bone, particularly the diagenic processes in-volved, such as root and insect activity. The processes studied included root activity, insect movement, and geologic processes, while mostly ignoring the effects of the actual soil itself. Studies of soil erosion on bones have mainly focused on gastric erosion from carnivore ingestion, but the effects of acidity from soil pH levels is still a poorly-studied area within archaeology. The pre-sent study aimed to help elucidate this process by examining the effects of erosion due to soil acidity in a controlled environment. Gallus gallus domes-tics bones (n=24) were placed in containers filled with soil, whose pH values ranged from 4.5-12.6 for five weeks. This study has far-reaching implications within the field of anthropology, expanding upon previous comparative work on taphonomic signatures from hominid-modified and gastrically-modified remains recovered from fossil assemblages. The results of this study added to the literature base on the ways in which soil acidity affects the appearance of skeletal remains. Results from this study indicated that soil acidity expanded the grooves for biceps brachii muscle attachment like previously observed expansion of foramina from effects of gastric erosion, thus highlighting the need for further research into this process.
Keywords: Taphonomy, Soil Erosion, Avian Taphonomy
Keywords: Taphonomy, Soil Erosion, Avian Taphonomy
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Abstract: Foot and ankle trauma in adults may be accidental or caused by physical activities that increase the likelihood of injury. Little is known about the organization of labor or health of the presumed forager-farmers of the later... more
Abstract: Foot and ankle trauma in adults may be accidental or caused by physical activities that increase the likelihood of injury. Little is known about the organization of labor or health of the presumed forager-farmers of the later Late Woodland (~AD 900-1150) period mortuary site of Schroeder Mounds (Henderson County, Illinois). In order to better understand the physi-cal activities or hazards of the individuals from this site, thirty-seven adult skeletons preserving at least one essentially complete mid (metatarsals) and hind (tarsals) foot were examined for reactive changes that are consistent with traumatic injury. This data is compared to published reports from other Illinois Late Woodland sites. The study is comprised of 17 females, 14 males, and 6 skeletally unsexable adults. In the Schroeder Mounds sample, there were six cases of foot/ankle pathology (6/37, 13.5%), five of which (3/17, 17.6% females; 2/14, 14.3% males) are diagnostically traumatic injuries (5/37, 13.5%). A sixth case is a likely congenital foreshortening of a metatar-sal (brachymetatarsia). There is no significant difference between the sexes in the frequency of ankle/foot trauma (p=1.000, Fisher’s test). However, given the small sample size, the results are tentative. The trauma pattern of the Schroeder mounds cases consists of the clinically infrequent tarsometatarsal (Lisfranc joint complex) high-energy misstep injuries, a vertical jump/fall (Pilon fracture), and stress (“march”) fractures of the metatarsal shafts. These injuries are consistent with a highly active and/or mobile community where trauma hazards are arguably equally experienced by both adult males and females.
Keywords: Adults, Late Woodland Period, Schroeder Mounds, Foot, Ankle, Trauma
Keywords: Adults, Late Woodland Period, Schroeder Mounds, Foot, Ankle, Trauma
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Abstract: This study investigates and reports on the strong relation between language and ethnolinguistic identity in Morocco. The study examines and analyzes comments of both Berbers and Arabs’ reaction to the plan of promot-ing Arabic.... more
Abstract: This study investigates and reports on the strong relation between language and ethnolinguistic identity in Morocco. The study examines and analyzes comments of both Berbers and Arabs’ reaction to the plan of promot-ing Arabic. Two communities of practice will emerge once they react to a plan aiming at promoting Arabic. The source of data for this study is the main online newspaper in Morocco, Hespress (hespress.com).
The comments demonstrate that once Arabic and Berber are put together, the ethnicity associated with each language prevails. Data analysis shows that Language is a prominent index of ethnicity. It can create conflict and rivalry between the two main ethnic groups in Morocco. The results support the hy-pothesis, which claims that there is a strong link between language and ethnic-ity. The commentators were expressing their identities in a community of practice that is either defined by Berber or Arabic. Data analysis also shows that language can separate ethnic groups and can also be an essential factor in forming communities of practice. It is clear from the analysis that language separates these two groups, supporting the idea that language has a role in shaping these communities of practice and forming their identities.
Keywords: Ethnolinguistic Identity, Language, Index of Identity,
Morocco, Berber, Arabic, Community of Practice
The comments demonstrate that once Arabic and Berber are put together, the ethnicity associated with each language prevails. Data analysis shows that Language is a prominent index of ethnicity. It can create conflict and rivalry between the two main ethnic groups in Morocco. The results support the hy-pothesis, which claims that there is a strong link between language and ethnic-ity. The commentators were expressing their identities in a community of practice that is either defined by Berber or Arabic. Data analysis also shows that language can separate ethnic groups and can also be an essential factor in forming communities of practice. It is clear from the analysis that language separates these two groups, supporting the idea that language has a role in shaping these communities of practice and forming their identities.
Keywords: Ethnolinguistic Identity, Language, Index of Identity,
Morocco, Berber, Arabic, Community of Practice
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This article considers the actions of social actors and organizations, who through engaging with artifacts from the wrecks of the nineteenth-century S.S. Otago and S.S. Tairoa, have helped affirm the dominance of shipwreck-based maritime... more
This article considers the actions of social actors and organizations, who through engaging with artifacts from the wrecks of the nineteenth-century S.S. Otago and S.S. Tairoa, have helped affirm the dominance of shipwreck-based maritime heritage and identity narratives along, or near, the region of the southeastern coast of New Zealand called The Catlins. Those actions are considered through: exploring some episodes of salvaging and exhibiting objects, providing commentary about the way that those actions and objects interact with identity formation and affirmation processes, and examining the connection between local communities and a not-so-distant past. The notion of engagement with material objects leading to their gaining in status/agency, and becoming dominant elements within the negotiation of a shared regional identity and brand, is also considered, along with associated notions of materiality and links between landscape and identity.
Research Interests: Maritime Archaeology, New Zealand Studies, Ecotourism, Social Identity, Cultural Heritage, and 24 moreMaterial Culture Studies, Heritage Studies, Maritime History, Heritage Tourism, Identity (Culture), Cultural Identity, Nautical Archaeology, Material Culture, Marine Tourism Industry, Identity, Shipwrecks, Marine Tourism, Regional identity, Coastal and Marine Tourism, New Zealand, Community-based Ecotourism, Shipwrecks of the 19th and 20th Century, Historic Shipwrecks/ Conservation of Marine Artifacts, Marine Ecotourism, Participatory of Local People on Marine Ecotourism, Otago History, Nautical history, Regional Identity and Branding, and Regional Branding
Research Interests: Zoology, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Maritime Archaeology, Paleoanthropology, and 30 moreAnthropology, Biological Anthropology, Forensic Anthropology, Medical Anthropology, Visual Anthropology, Museum Studies, Bioarchaeology, Primatology, Cultural Heritage, Ethnography, Refugee Studies, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Diabetes, Evolutionary Anthropology, Anthropology Of Art, Physical Anthropology, Osteoarchaeology, Migration Studies, Taphonomy, Sensory Ethnography, Material Culture, Mortuary archaeology, Anthropology of ethics and morality, Interviews, Regional identity, Health and Social Care, Socio-Cultural Anthropology, Primate Behavior, Entheseal Changes, and Type 1 Diabetes
The use of new materials such as stickers, posters, and stencils has transformed how graffiti (or if you prefer street art) is made in the public spaces of Barcelona. In this article, I explore the practice of graffiti in this city... more
The use of new materials such as stickers, posters, and stencils has transformed how graffiti (or if you prefer street art) is made in the public spaces of Barcelona. In this article, I explore the practice of graffiti in this city through my participation in the project Haciendo la Calle, “Making the Street.” Here I collaborated with the local photographer Teo in pasting his photographs of street workers on surfaces of public spaces. The project was inspired by the work of the French contemporary street artist JR who mixes photography and graffiti, pasting large-scale photographs on the walls of cities worldwide. Like JR, Teo tries to give visibility and voice to the subjects of his photographs and produce alternative representations of them, in contrast to those provided through mainstream media channels. Using audio-visual media I recorded and became part of Teo’s performances in the public spaces of Barcelona. I argue that graffiti is shared and rejected as part of Barcelona’s every- day life, travelling between multiple ways of doing and being in the city. This project offered me the opportunity to move between different situations and play with my position as an anthropologist as well as a subject in my own research. It required me to cross the boundaries between the observer and the observed and allowed me to get an insight into the politics and aesthetics of public space in Barcelona through the practice and representation of graffiti.
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This article considers the actions of social actors and organizations, who through engaging with artifacts from the wrecks of the nineteenth-century S.S. Otago and S.S. Tairoa, have helped affirm the dominance of shipwreck-based maritime... more
This article considers the actions of social actors and organizations, who through engaging with artifacts from the wrecks of the nineteenth-century S.S. Otago and S.S. Tairoa, have helped affirm the dominance of shipwreck-based maritime heritage and identity narratives along, or near, the region of the southeastern coast of New Zealand called The Catlins. Those actions are con- sidered through: exploring some episodes of salvaging and exhibiting objects, providing commentary about the way that those actions and objects interact with identity formation and affirmation processes, and examining the connection between local communities and a not-so-distant past. The notion of engagement with material objects leading to their gaining in status/agency, and becoming dominant elements within the negotiation of a shared regional identi- ty and brand, is also considered, along with associated notions of materiality and links between landscape and identity.
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This article is based on original ethnographic research among college students aged 18–25 living with insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes. I investigate how moral language in medical treatment settings and social environments informs... more
This article is based on original ethnographic research among college students aged 18–25 living with insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes. I investigate how moral language in medical treatment settings and social environments informs patients’ experiences of managing their diabetes. Moral language about choice, control, responsibility, and risk was regularly used to describe daily diabetes management habits. Young adults with diabetes internalized a moral imperative to prioritize health. This moral obligation to health contributed to participants’ conceptions of self and influenced participants’ characterizations of other people with diabetes (PWD). Since the mid-twentieth century, the clinical approach to diabetes care has relaxed; however, some harmful assumptions linking patient character to his or her ability to comply with a prescribed treatment regimen still circulate in the culture of type 1 diabetes care. While failing to take insulin or to check blood sugars can lead to dangerously high or low glucose levels in the body, language tying patient worth to treatment compliance fails to show the complexity of striking a balance between hypervigilance and negligence in daily diabetes care rou- tines.
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The ubiquitous presence of reactive changes at the insertion of a minor muscle of the rotator cuff on the proximal humerus (teres minor) is analyzed in an adult Late Woodland (AD 800–1150) period osteological sam- ple (N = 43) from... more
The ubiquitous presence of reactive changes at the insertion of a minor muscle of the rotator cuff on the proximal humerus (teres minor) is analyzed in an adult Late Woodland (AD 800–1150) period osteological sam- ple (N = 43) from west-central Illinois (Schroeder Mounds, 11HE177). Fifty- seven percent left (20/35) and sixty-nine percent right humeri (25/36) have reactive change to the t. minor facet. There are no statistically significant differences by sex or side asymmetry. Reactive change generally co-associates with greater humeral robusticity. Besides a minor collaborative role in shoulder joint stability, teres minor has a limit range of movement as an abductor and external rotator of the arm. Injuries to the t. minor are exrememly rare in modern clinical contexts and only in athletes who engage in actvivites that utilize overhead arm movements. That is, the reactive change may be associated with particular arm movements or body posture which, in this pre-Columbian horticulturalist sample, may be related to activities for which there are no modern clinical correlates.
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Reproducibility and observer agreement are critical to the production of standardized and comparable data sets. The reproducibility of recording methodology is a current issue in entheseal change studies. The effects of a picture... more
Reproducibility and observer agreement are critical to the production of standardized and comparable data sets. The reproducibility of recording methodology is a current issue in entheseal change studies. The effects of a picture reference guide on current entheseal change methodology are explored in the hope of increasing observer agreement and thus overall applica- bility of the picture reference guide method in a variety of archaeological contexts. The picture guide seems marginally effective; however, it requires a few modifications and subsequent testing before full-scale implementation.
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Constitutional growth delay in subadults may be caused by chronic illness, malnutrition, and/or undernutrition. Very little is known about the community health of the presumptive forager-farmers of the Late Woodland (~ AD 900-1150) period... more
Constitutional growth delay in subadults may be caused by chronic illness, malnutrition, and/or undernutrition. Very little is known about the community health of the presumptive forager-farmers of the Late Woodland (~ AD 900-1150) period site of Schroeder Mounds (Henderson County, Illinois). In an effort to increase understanding of community health, the subadults (N=15) were examined by age-at-death for evidence of growth stunting as reflected in forelimb shortening. Crural and brachial indices were calculated for those subadults preserving measurable femora and tibiae and/or measurable humeri and radii. These indices were compared by age category to indices cal- culated from normal bone lengths taken from published clinical data. Stunting was evident for all ages-at-death in the Schroeder Mounds sample. The stunting was contextualized by assessing the presence/absence of potentially causative or synergistically related skeletally visible chronic health stress indicators (i.e., porotic hyperostosis, cribra orbitalia, linear enamel hypoplasia, periosto- sis). The results indicated that all subadults exhibited growth stunting regard- less of the presence of the quantified health issues. This may suggest that stunting is potentially a free-standing osteological marker of developmental stress. Within Schroeder Mounds, stunting may ultimately be due to various environmental (e.g., harvest or resource shortfall) and cultural (e.g., weaning, child labor) factors.
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The spotted (Crocuta crocuta), brown (Hyaena brunnea), and striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) are well documented collectors of faunal remains. Actualistic studies of spotted and brown hyenas used as analogs for hominin behavior abound, while... more
The spotted (Crocuta crocuta), brown (Hyaena brunnea), and striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) are well documented collectors of faunal remains. Actualistic studies of spotted and brown hyenas used as analogs for hominin behavior abound, while the striped hyena has received relatively little attention. Ultimately, the composition of hyena scavenging and den assemblages and their taphonomic histories are of interest to paleoanthropologists, archaeologists, and paleontologists because they may help elucidate questions about early hominin behavior. Striped hyenas are the most prodigious bone collector among extant hyenas, and their small body size, omnivorous diet, and deferential behavior are all applicable to previously hypothesized foraging behaviors of Oldowan hominins. In 2009, near Mount Olorgesailie, in the Kaijado Dis- trict of Kenya, an adult eland (Taurotragus oryx) was presumably killed by a lion (Panthera leo), and subsequently scavenged by striped hyenas. Detailed observations of this scavenging event, which lasted for more than 30 days, are reported here; the results of this actualistic study are applied to current hypotheses of Oldowan hominin foraging behavior. Given the small body size, solitary social structure, and deferential behavior of striped hyenas, and presumably their Pliocene phylogenetic counterparts, early hominins could have successfully challenged striped hyenas for recently killed prey more efficiently than they could have contested spotted hyenas for prey. Extant striped hyena behavior also provides paleoanthropologists with exciting analogs for early hominin scavenging behavior.
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Social plasticity, the adjustment of social behavioral expression to the nuances of daily life, is an important facet of primate communication because it is a response to the selective pressures that make one form of communication more... more
Social plasticity, the adjustment of social behavioral expression to the nuances of daily life, is an important facet of primate communication because it is a response to the selective pressures that make one form of communication more advantageous over another when utilized in specific social situations (Oliveira 2012). In this study examining social plasticity of orangutan communication as a function of sex, I compare the time budgets of communicative behaviors among female Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) at the Lowry Park Zoo, Florida. Sex-based social plasticity was defined as a behav- ioral difference between same-sex and opposite-sex interactions. Data collection included 65 hours of video, recorded observations, and frame-by-frame analysis using focal animal sampling. Communicative behavior differed signifi- cantly between same-sex and opposite-sex interactions (χ 2=35.13, df=1, p<0.01). When interacting with same-sex conspecifics, females spent most of their time utilizing tactile communication (86.8%), followed by visual communication (13.2%). When interacting with males, females spent most of their time utilizing visual communication (57.2%), followed by tactile commu- nication (42.8%). No significant auditory communication was observed (<0.1%). I conclude that female orangutan communication exhibits sex-based social plasticity. I propose that this plasticity is a behavioral adaptation result- ing from sex-specific social selective pressures.
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Making our World as It Makes Us: Human Interaction with the Environment
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Research Interests: Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Forensic Anthropology, Medical Anthropology, Intellectual Property, and 27 morePublic Archaeology, Journalism, Forensic Science, Museum Studies, Human Rights Law, Ethnography, Addiction, Human Rights, Landscape Archaeology, Mental Health, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Decomposition, International Criminal Court, Museum Anthropology, Copyright, Indigeneity, Survey (Archaeological Method & Theory), Physical Anthropology, Media, Taphonomy, Cyprus, Archaeological Fieldwork, Neanderthals (Palaeolithic Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Paleolithic Archaeology, New Zealand, and northern Uganda
From November 2012 to January 2013, four pig carcasses (Sus scrofa) were buried at varying shallow grave depths at the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility at Texas State University–San Marcos. A fifth pig served as a control on the... more
From November 2012 to January 2013, four pig carcasses (Sus scrofa) were buried at varying shallow grave depths at the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility at Texas State University–San Marcos. A fifth pig served as a control on the surface. Modification of the graves and surface deposit was recorded through the use of five motion-sensing cameras and daily on-site observation. The research intended to examine how vultures (Coragyps atratus and Cathartes aura) respond to and modify shallow graves of varying depths. Questions that were to be answered included how and when vultures detect graves; disturb the area; remove, disarticulate, and skeletonize remains; and finally abandon the different graves in comparison to a surface deposition. Vultures in this study did not locate or unearth the pig carcasses in the shallow burials and this may be explained by vulture seasonality and migration, feeding behavior regarding digging, and most importantly, the presence of human disturbance.
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In recent debates between social scientists and human rights and legal scholars, many anthropologists have argued that the successes or failures of transitional justice mechanisms to contribute to peace depend on a wide range of... more
In recent debates between social scientists and human rights and legal scholars, many anthropologists have argued that the successes or failures of transitional justice mechanisms to contribute to peace depend on a wide range of contextually situated historical, political, socio-economic, and cultural factors (see Hinton 2010). Human rights organizations often disregard or sideline such contextual specifics and favor a narrow definition of justice in terms of the unwavering punitive orthodoxy of international courts as the primary solution to conflict. Looking through an anthropological lens in this paper, I focus on the history of politics in post-colonial Uganda in order to render clearer the cycle of violence that emerged as a prominent feature of the political landscape of the region. Against this contextualized backdrop, I investigate the case of conflict between the Ugandan state and the Lord’s Resistance Army, and problematize the role of one international human rights organization, the International Criminal Court. I argue that by continuing its intervention in Uganda’s justice matters, the ICC is inadvertently granting the same kind of amnesty to past atrocities that it so condemns for present ones, and in doing so, grants international legitimacy to the current state while de-legitimizing non-state local forms of justice. Although ethnographic “field notes” are not included in the following pages, this essay represents one anthropologist’s analytical engagement with issues of justice in Uganda.
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In the early 21st century, daily newspapers across the United States struggled with how to respond to economic and technological pressures. Using ethnographic methods, this article explores one newspaper’s—the Milwaukee Journal... more
In the early 21st century, daily newspapers across the United States struggled with how to respond to economic and technological pressures. Using ethnographic methods, this article explores one newspaper’s—the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s—response to those challenges, with a particular focus on how journalists’ definition of the news affects the information the public is exposed to. I argue that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel responded to economic and technological challenges by redefining news. However, that redefinition brought with it unforeseen problems, both in the practice and the product of journalism. The redefinition increased tensions between watchdog and beat reporters, and between older, more experienced journalists and younger, more tech-savvy journalists. This research suggests that the redefinition of what constitutes news put a greater emphasis on government and the newspaper’s need to establish a villain, which in turn narrowed the focus of investigative series to malpractice or the abuse of power instead of broader questions about the system itself.
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In recent years, the distinction between anatomically modern humans (AMHs) and Neanderthals has come into question in light of genetic evidence that suggests they interbred. Some claim that this distinction can be maintained by... more
In recent years, the distinction between anatomically modern humans (AMHs) and Neanderthals has come into question in light of genetic evidence that suggests they interbred. Some claim that this distinction can be maintained by delineating anatomical, developmental, and behavioral differences between the two species. This paper examines the body of evidence for and against behavioral modernity in Neanderthals by using their capacity for symbolic thought as a proxy for modern behavioral capabilities. Evidence for colorant usage, personal ornamentation, symbolic etchings, and interactions between AMHs and Neanderthals supports the hypothesis that Neanderthals were capable of symbolic thought and thus possessed a behavioral modernity similar to that of early AMHs. The emergence of these behaviors seems to be closely tied to cultural/demographic explanations rather than genetic/cognitive explanations and suggests promising opportunities for future research.
Research Interests: Biological Anthropology, Physical Anthropology, Neanderthals (Palaeolithic Archaeology), Human evolutionary genetics, Neanderthals, and 12 moreModern Human Origins, Paleolithic Archaeology, Body Ornamentation, Anatomically Modern Humans, coexistence of anatomical modern human with Neanderthals (hybridization), Prehistoric Demography, Behavioral Modernity, Symbolic behaviour (Neanderthals), Evolution of Hominin and Human Behaviour, Interactions between Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans, Symbolic Capabilities, and Neanderthal genome
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Research Interests: Social Theory, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Paleoanthropology, Prehistoric Archaeology, and 27 moreAnthropology, Biological Anthropology, Forensic Anthropology, Human Evolution, Medical Anthropology, Historical Archaeology, Public Archaeology, Social Sciences, Zooarchaeology, Museum Studies, Bioarchaeology, Primatology, Ethnography, Material Culture Studies, Linguistic Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Anthropology of the Body, Environmental Anthropology, Anthropology of Gender, Applied Anthropology, Anthropology Of Art, Archaeological GIS, Physical Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, Material Culture, NAGPRA, and Roman Archaeology
Field Notes: A Journal of Collegiate Anthropology, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee’s anthropological journal, is now accepting submissions for our seventh volume, to be published in the spring. The preliminary deadline for early... more
Field Notes: A Journal of Collegiate Anthropology, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee’s anthropological journal, is now accepting submissions for our seventh volume, to be published in the spring. The preliminary deadline for early editorial feedback is December 1, 2014. The final deadline is January 15, 2015.
Research Interests: Social Theory, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Paleoanthropology, Prehistoric Archaeology, and 51 moreAnthropology, Biological Anthropology, Forensic Anthropology, Human Evolution, Medical Anthropology, Anthropology of Tourism, Historical Archaeology, Public Archaeology, Social Sciences, Zooarchaeology, Museum Studies, Bioarchaeology, Primatology, Ethnography, Material Culture Studies, Linguistic Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Anthropology of the Body, Environmental Anthropology, Anthropology of Food, Mesoamerican Archaeology, Economic Anthropology, Anthropology of Gender, Applied Archaeology, Human Anatomy (Biological Anthropology), Museum Anthropology, Anthropology Of Art, Archaeological GIS, Conflict Archaeology, North American archaeology, Physical Anthropology, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Forensic Archaeology, Nationalism and Archaeology, Greek Archaeology, Linguistic ethnography, Gender Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology and politics, Material Culture, European Prehistory (Archaeology), Mortuary archaeology, European Archaeology, NAGPRA, Midwest Archaeology, South American Archaeology, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Midwestern US Archaeology, Anthropology of Religion, Roman Archaeology, and North American Archaeology (Midwest)
Research Interests: Social Movements, Social Theory, Archaeology, Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, and 43 moreBioarchaeology, Ethnography, Material Culture Studies, Mental Health, Political Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Food Security and Insecurity, Conflict, Anthropology of Food, Health Care, Health Care Policy, Economic Anthropology, Materials, Physical Anthropology, History of the Mediterranean, Cultural Anthropology, Ritual violence (Archaeology), Hegemony, Etruscan Archaeology, Mediterranean archaeology, Material Culture, Archaeology of Violence, Sociocultural Anthropology, Neo-liberalism, Ancient Greece, Ancient Warfare, Global Financial Crisis, Amber, Hunger, Ancient Egypt, Structural Violence, Food deserts, Wisconsin, J. Paul Getty Museum, Cultural and Social Anthropology, Anthropology of Violence, Medicaid, Etruscan and pre-Roman archaeology, Debt, Occupy Wall Street, Baltic amber, Political Action, and Affordable Care Act
On May 13, 2013, the non-profit organization calling itself Strike Debt purchased $12 million of delinquent medical consumer debt from a random selection of 1,190 Americans and abolished their obligations (Rolling Jubilee 2013). To date,... more
On May 13, 2013, the non-profit organization calling itself Strike Debt purchased $12 million of delinquent medical consumer debt from a random selection of 1,190 Americans and abolished their obligations (Rolling Jubilee 2013). To date, $15 million of consumer debt has been purchased with donations and abolished by this branch of the Occupy Wall Street Movement in an initiative they are calling the Rolling Jubilee. Through this program, Strike Debt is undertaking as its course of social activism the project of identifying and raising public awareness of debt as the key burden uniting “the 99 percent” (Rolling Jubilee 2013).
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A case study of health care in Wisconsin under Governor Walker is presented in order to explore some effects of austerity in the United States. The case study follows the trajectory of rhetoric employed by the Walker campaign, linking it... more
A case study of health care in Wisconsin under Governor Walker is presented in order to explore some effects of austerity in the United States. The case study follows the trajectory of rhetoric employed by the Walker campaign, linking it to policy changes and subsequent health outcomes for people in the state. I argue that, despite Walker’s proposal for funding mental health, the trajectory of mental health services in Wisconsin is toward increased constriction of public services. Additionally, Walker is able to both endorse individual agency and simultaneously promote policies that restrict it through a politics of need (Robertson 1998:1421). In the case of Walker’s Wisconsin, the politics of need works to hide cuts to services for the poorest people in Wisconsin by appealing to American ideals of individualism.
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In recent years, access to food for particular areas in the United States, both rural and urban, has become problematic. Big box retailers have put smaller community grocers out of business and are typically not located in rural areas.... more
In recent years, access to food for particular areas in the United States, both rural and urban, has become problematic. Big box retailers have put smaller community grocers out of business and are typically not located in rural areas. Food insecure areas are generally known as food deserts, a term that has entered the popular nomenclature. The USDA attempts to capture areas that are food insecure through the creation of mapping tools that rely upon particular indicators, such as geographic distance to a supermarket, availability of a vehicle, and alternative sources of food. Phelps, the site of this research project, is a small town in northern Wisconsin that once had a supermarket which closed down due to competition from larger supermarkets in other towns in the area. Along with travel to surrounding areas for food, residents of this town procure some of their food in ways not considered on the USDA research tool. They hunt, fish, forage, and grow backyard gardens. This paper argues that the tools developed by the USDA, and the concept of food deserts as described in the literature, do not capture the unique experience of the residents of this town. Ethnographic research provides a lens through which to critique and complement current tools and literature around the topic of food security and food deserts.
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Research Interests:
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Research Interests: Social Theory, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Paleoanthropology, Prehistoric Archaeology, and 51 moreAnthropology, Biological Anthropology, Forensic Anthropology, Human Evolution, Medical Anthropology, Anthropology of Tourism, Historical Archaeology, Public Archaeology, Social Sciences, Zooarchaeology, Museum Studies, Bioarchaeology, Primatology, Ethnography, Material Culture Studies, Linguistic Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Anthropology of the Body, Environmental Anthropology, Anthropology of Food, Mesoamerican Archaeology, Economic Anthropology, Anthropology of Gender, Applied Archaeology, Applied Anthropology, Human Anatomy (Biological Anthropology), Museum Anthropology, Anthropology Of Art, Archaeological GIS, Conflict Archaeology, Physical Anthropology, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Forensic Archaeology, Nationalism and Archaeology, Greek Archaeology, Linguistic ethnography, Gender Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology, Ceramics (Archaeology), Archaeology and politics, European Prehistory (Archaeology), Mortuary archaeology, European Archaeology, NAGPRA, Midwest Archaeology, South American Archaeology, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Midwestern US Archaeology, Anthropology of Religion, Roman Archaeology, and North American Archaeology (Midwest)
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Research Interests:
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Abstract: The use of pseudoscience is a growing trend in documentary style television shows currently filling the time slots of multiple cable television networks. Methods and theories without scientific credibility masquerade as facts or... more
Abstract: The use of pseudoscience is a growing trend in documentary style television shows currently filling the time slots of multiple cable television networks. Methods and theories without scientific credibility masquerade as facts or sound hypotheses in which viewing publics are manipulated into believing fake scientific answers. Archaeology or rather pseudoarchaeology has become a recurring topic on these shows, acting as another line of bastardized “evidence”. While trained archaeologists can spot the misrepresentation of their discipline within the first few minutes of a viewing, the majority of the public is not versed in such background knowledge. In actuality this viewing public is often choosing such programs because they would like to learn more about various scientific disciplines and their discoveries. The question then becomes, how can we, as scholars of the sciences, effectively debunk the use of pseudoarchaeology and share our knowledge of the discipline outside of academia? How can we convince the public of the important distinctions be- tween real and fake science?
Key words: Pseudoarchaeology, pseudoscience, archaeology and the media, archaeology and the public, alternative archaeology, cult archaeology
Key words: Pseudoarchaeology, pseudoscience, archaeology and the media, archaeology and the public, alternative archaeology, cult archaeology
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Abstract: Food desert, is a term that is used more frequently in the United States to describe poor access to nutritious food in urban food landscapes. Access to healthy food in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is limited at best. This research paper... more
Abstract: Food desert, is a term that is used more frequently in the United States to describe poor access to nutritious food in urban food landscapes. Access to healthy food in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is limited at best. This research paper investigates how Milwaukee residents articulate a relationship between food, eating, personal health and their environment as they manifest in food cultures and in the way Milwaukee residents access and participate in the consumption of food. This project takes place in zip code 53233 in downtown Milwaukee. Four research methods were used in data collection (1) walking surveys and area mapping, (2) observations of food establishments, (3) surveying and (4) in-person interviews. The themes used to describe what was studied are the specifics of the African American food culture, economics, the local food landscape, access and the use and abuse of legal and illegal substances. Each of these areas is a means of understanding the full breadth of this complex, inter- twined relationship articulated by the local population. The aim of this research project is to explore how Milwaukee residents articulate their relationships towards food culture and consumption and what, if any, are the long-term implications for their immediate community.
Key Words: food anthropology, food desert(s), urban landscapes, health, environment, access
Key Words: food anthropology, food desert(s), urban landscapes, health, environment, access
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Abstract: Individuals of Mexican origin comprise the single largest immigrant group in the United States, yet little is understood about the intricacies of the mental health problems experienced by these individuals. Traditionally,... more
Abstract: Individuals of Mexican origin comprise the single largest immigrant group in the United States, yet little is understood about the intricacies of the mental health problems experienced by these individuals. Traditionally, immigrants report higher rates of mental illness when compared with individuals still living in their natal countries (Cochrane and Bal 1987; Cantor-Graae and Selten 2005; Morgan et al. 2010), and this pattern does seem to be reflected when examining the US-based Mexican population against those family members still residing in Mexico (Breslau et al. 2011). Through examination of data collected as part of the Mexican Migration Project, a differential pattern in the rates of mental illness reported by males and females is revealed. Mexican- born women in the United States report a substantially higher rate of mental illness than their male counterparts. To explain this difference, a two-pronged model of constrained choice and social defeat is proposed.
Key words: migration, mental health, US-Mexico migration, women’s health, Mexican Migration Project
Key words: migration, mental health, US-Mexico migration, women’s health, Mexican Migration Project