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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The view from the teeth Ongoing evolution among modern humans Jan. 5, 2010 -- Download An international team of researchers, including Erik Trinkaus, Ph.D. professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences, has reanalyzed the complete immature dentition of a 30,000 year-old-child from the Abrigo do Lagar Velho, Portugal. The new analysis of the Lagar Velho child shows that these "early modern humans" were modern without being "fully modern."

The power of words What to give a high school senior? WUSTL faculty provide top book picks for the college-bound Dec. 21, 2009 -- Having trouble figuring out what to get that high school senior on your gift list this holiday season? Or parents, want to make sure your 17-year-old keeps his or her mind on the right track while on winter break? A book might provide a simple solution. Washington University in St. Louis faculty offer their suggestions for the one book — in a few cases two or three — that a high school senior should read before heading off to college, whether to be better prepared for the college classroom or for living away from home or simply to be a more well-rounded person.

A-maizing The impact of the diffusion of maize to the southwestern United States Dec. 8, 2009 -- An international group of anthropologists offers a new theory about the diffusion of maize to the Southwestern United States and the impact it had. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study, co-authored by Gayle Fritz, Ph.D., professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences, and colleagues, suggests that maize was passed from group to group of Southwestern hunter-gatherers. These people took advantage of improved moisture conditions by integrating a storable and potentially high-yielding crop into their broad-spectrum subsistence strategy.

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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

Chimps use 'tool kits' to gather army ants United Press International and 3 others Sept. 10, 2009 -- Researchers led by WUSTL anthropology professor Crickette Sanz in the Republic of Congo's Nouabale-Ndoki National Park said they have discovered chimpanzees that have developed specialized "tool sets" to forage for army ants.

Burqa Furor Scrambles French Politics The New York Times and 2 others Sept. 1, 2009 -- In France, a parliamentary commission will soon meet to investigate whether to ban any cloak that covers most of the face. WUSTL anthropology professor John Bowen, who wrote "Why the French Don't Like Headscarves: Islam, the State and Public Space," has been asked to testify by the parliamentary commission.

(Un)wired For God Newsweek Aug. 13, 2009 -- Sharon Begley reports on new data in the debate on neurobiology and whether we are wired to believe in God. In a paper last month in the online journal Evolutionary Psychology, Gregory Paul posits that, rather than being wired into the brain, religion is a way to cope with stress in a dysfunctional society -- the opium-of-the-people argument. She mentions research by WUSTL anthropology professor Pascal Boyer.

Early human European diets studied United Press International and 4 others Aug. 12, 2009 -- U.S. and Canadian scientists say data from human fossils suggest a shift in animal resource exploitation as humans spread into Europe 40,000 years ago. There is little evidence for the regular eating of fish by the Neanderthals, but early humans consistently consumed fish, supplementing their diet. This study by WUSTL anthropology professor Erik Trinkaus a Canadian colleague was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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.

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.