Anthropology

Chair and Ralph E. Morrow Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Scien: Richard J. Smith

Home Page: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/%7Eanthro/ Location: 112 Old McMillan Hall Telephone: (314) 935-4843

Anthropology studies human existence in the present and the past and explores how and why humans vary in their behaviors, cultures and biology. The faculty in the Department of Anthropology in Arts & Sciences is well balanced among three subdisciplines: archaeology, physical anthropology and sociocultural anthropology. Faculty research interests in archaeology include the origins of food production, the cultures of prehistoric North and South America, and African prehistory. The physical anthropology faculty focuses on the evolution of humans and on the ecology, behavior and evolution of nonhuman primates. The sociocultural anthropology faculty conducts research in Africa, India, Indonesia, the Middle East and the United States on culture and political economy. Scroll down this page for more information on the department and its research.

News Stories & Tip Sheets:

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Disputed election Iranian administration losing legitimacy, says expert June 23, 2009 -- Robert Canfield Download As the Iranian government continues to crack down on citizens protesting against the recent disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an expert on Iran at Washington University in St. Louis says the Iranian administration wants the legitimacy of having won an election without actually having allowed a true election to take place.

Pioneers, leaders in their respective fields Washington University to award four honorary degrees at 148th Commencement April 23, 2009 -- Washington University in St. Louis will bestow honorary degrees on four pioneers and leaders in their respective fields during its 148th Commencement May 15. During the ceremony, which will begin at 8:30 a.m. in Brookings Quadrangle, the university also will bestow more than 2,700 academic degrees on more than 2,600 students. Wendy Kopp, chief executive officer and founder of Teach For America, will deliver the Commencement address and receive an honorary doctor of humanities degree.

Violence and social order Research workshop explores social science of international development, March 24 March 3, 2009 -- North Download Community-based conservation in Madagascar, property rights for the poor in Argentina and trade-offs between violence and power in societies throughout human history are among topics to be explored in a free public workshop on the social science of international development from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 24 in the Women's Building Formal Lounge.

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Faculty Experts:

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D. Tab Rasmussen Professor of Anthropology in Arts and Sciences Rasmussen studies primate evolution by drawing on two major lines of evidence: the fossil record and the comparative study of living primates. One goal of this research is to trace the actual course of primate evolution. More importantly, detailed studies of primate evolution can provide insight into ... Expertise: primate evolution, fossil record, evolutionary transitions, primate origins, anthropoid origins, prosimian primates, paleontology, … Media assistance: (314) 935-5235 / nschoenherr@wustl.edu

Bradley P. Stoner Associate Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology in Arts and Sciences Dr. Stoner, who joined the Infectious Disease division in 1995, holds a joint appointment as Associate Professor of Anthropology in Arts & Sciences. He studied anthropology at Harvard University and McGill University, and received the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Indiana University. He completed residency ... Expertise: anthropology, public health, medicine, sexually transmitted diseases, biomedicine, medical anthropology, anthropology of public health, … Direct contact: (314) 935-5673 / bstoner@wustl.edu

Lois Beck Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology in Arts and Sciences Expertise: Qashqa'i nomadic pastoralists, Iran, Islam, political anthropology, history, tribe-state relations, gender, … Direct contact: (314) 935-5290

Margaret Brown Assistant Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology in Arts and Sciences Expertise: equality and hierarchy, kinship and social organization, economic and political development, Madagascar, Indian Ocean Direct contact: (314) 935-8279 / mbrown@wustl.edu

Pedro Cavalcanti Professor of Social Anthropology in Arts and Sciences Expertise: social theories, social thought, world views and iedologies, historical, political, and cultural changes, Latin America, … Direct contact: (314) 935-5870 / pcucaval@wustl.edu

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Related News Clips:

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Show More Clips

The Susan Boyle phenomenon: redefining beauty, grace, and success? The Christian Science Monitor April 22, 2009 -- A video clip from the TV show Britain's Got Talent of Scot Susan Boyle winning over skeptical judges and a cynical crowd has been viewed more than 40 million times, making it one of the most popular YouTube videos ever posted. WUSTL anthropology professor Robert Canfield comments on a deeper meaning in the singer's YouTube popularity.

Modern life's pressures may be hastening human evolution Miami Herald online and 23 others April 13, 2009 -- Even today, scientists say that human beings are continuing to evolve as our genes respond to rapid changes in the world around us. WUSTL anthropology professor Robert Sussman comments.

Late Neandertals and Modern Human Contact in Southeastern Iberia ScienceDaily.com and 2 others Dec. 10, 2008 -- New research, published Dec. 8 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is now shedding some light on what were probably the last Neanderthals. The research is based on a study of human fossils found during the past decade in Spain by Michael Walker, professor at Universidad de Murcia, and colleagues, and published by Walker, WUSTL anthropology professor Erik Trinkaus, and colleagues.

Were Neanderthals stoned to death by modern humans? New Scientist (UK) Nov. 20, 2008 -- New research suggests human aerial bombardments might have pushed Neanderthals to extinction. However, WUSTL paleoanthropologist Erik Trinkaus doubts that projectile weapons played a major role in human culture before about 25,000 years ago and the extinction of Neanderthals.

Last of the Neanderthals National Geographic Sept. 25, 2008 -- Discussion on the fossilized remains of a group of Neanderthals who lived approximately 43,000 years ago. Many mutually contradictory interpretations have been made about these bones. WUSTL's Eric Trinkaus is one of the experts commenting and debating.

Program strengths in archaeology include the origins of agriculture and pastoralism; ethnoarchaeology; paleoethnobotany; zooarchaeology; and the prehistory of North America, Africa and South America.

The physical anthropologists have a program emphasis in human and primate evolution, the ecology and behavior of modern primates, and quantitative studies of morphology and genetics, with ongoing paleontological, behavioral, and ecological field research in Africa, Madagascar, Europe, and South America.

The overall focus of the sociocultural subfield is culture and political economy, which encompasses the study of nation-building and local identities, political ecology, political economy of development, postcolonialism, and the political economy of health.

Interdisciplinary research is enhanced by the involvement of anthropology faculty in several on-campus institutes and programs, including Social Thought & Analysis, Applied Statistics & Computation, the Center in Political Economy, the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, African & Afro-American Studies, Environmental Studies, Women & Gender Studies, Archaeology, and the Division of Infectious Diseases. The department also has close research ties to the School of Medicine, the Missouri Botanical Garden (one of the world's great herbaria), and the Saint Louis Zoo.

The Department of Anthropology is actively expanding its program for training and research in medical anthropology. Strong links with academic and clinical programs at the University's School of Medicine permit the development of integrated medical anthropology research projects.