By Ann Eberwein Born is 1911, Harriet M. Smith was the first female archaeologist in Illinois and led early excavations at Cahokia including the salvage excavation of Murdock Mound (Mound 55). Smith received her Doctorate in Anthropology from the University… Read More
By Ann Eberwein Between 1200 and 1150 BC, cities, regions, and empires across Asia Minor and the Eastern Mediterranean experienced sudden decline and fragmentation in what is termed the Late Bronze Age collapse. Many explanations, both environmental and cultural, have… Read More
By Ann Eberwein Upcoming Wisconsin Archaeology Event Madison College and the Center for Wisconsin Archaeology will host “An Evening with Artifacts” on Tuesday, February 21, from 6:30-8:30pm on the Madison Area Technical College Truax Campus. More information can be found… Read More
Sabin Hall G28
Dr. Paula Skye Tallman
Assistant Professor, Dept of Anthropology, Loyola University Chicago
Friday, March 3, 2023 at 3:30 pm
Sabin Hall G28 (3413 North Downer Avenue, Milwaukee)
Abstract: Globally, scientists are finding an alarming link between water insecurity, or the inability to access and benefit from affordable, adequate, reliable, and safe water, and human health and well-being. This talk presents multi-disciplinary research in Indonesia and Peru about the relationship between water insecurity and multiple forms of mental and physical health. This work documents associations between water insecurity and measures of human biology, depression, and experiences of gender-based violence. The research highlights how anthropologists can work with global health and conservation experts to understand and address issues of contemporary concern.
Speaker: Dr. Paula Skye Tallman is an Assistant Professor of Biological Anthropology at Loyola University Chicago. Her research integrates theory and methods from anthropology and global health to examine how environmental factors are linked to human biology, health, and well-being. Dr. Tallman received her B.A. in Behavioral Biology from Johns Hopkins University, her Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology from Northwestern University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship focused on indigenous well-being and conservation at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Her work has been supported by funds from the British Academy, the National Science Foundation, and the Wenner-Gren Foundation.
Sabin Hall G28
Professor Amanda L. Logan
Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology
Northwestern University
Friday, February 3, 2023 @ 3:30 pm
Sabin Hall G28 (3413 North Downer Avenue, Milwaukee)
Abstract: African foodways have been viewed through the lens of ‘the scarcity slot,’ a kind of Othering based on presumed differences in resources. Combining archaeological, historical, and environmental data with food ethnography, I illustrate how a longue durée approach can combat these stereotypes. Drawing on a case study in Banda, west-central Ghana, I show that people maintained high food security during the worst drought on record in the last millennium, lasting from 1400-1650, in part through diverse economic strategies. Seasonal chronic food insecurity increased in severity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in association with changing labor dynamics and market economies further institutionalized under British colonial rule. This long-term view challenges notions of the African continent as a forever food scarce place, and suggests that the past can act as an inspiration for food secure futures.
Amanda Logan is associate professor in the Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University with affiliations in the Program of African Studies, Program in Environmental Policy and Culture, and the Buffett Institute for Global Studies. She studies how underdevelopment and other political and economic shifts have helped create food insecurity across the African continent. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. She is the author of The Scarcity Slot: Excavating Histories of African Food Security (University of California Press 2020) and articles in American Anthropologist, African Archaeological Review, among many other journals
By Aislinn Sanders Vikings, the Middles Ages Norse explorers, have a long history of exploration and contact with other civilizations. They settled from the Greenland to the western coast of Canada. Their history in Africa, however, remains a forgotten part… Read More
By Aislinn Sanders Fire and Homo naledi Homo naledi, the hominin discovery published in 2015, has sparked a heated debate for nearly a decade. The remains of at least 15 individuals, dated to approximately 300,000 years… Read More
By Aislinn Sanders As the temperatures drop and snow begins to fall, people are undoubtedly imbued with the classic holiday spirit that comes with this time of year. Thoughts of holiday-specific food and drink, story telling with friends and family,… Read More
By Aislinn Sanders When did hominins utilize fire for cooking? A new study published on November 14th, 2022, suggests that hominins mastered fire for cooking 600,000 years earlier than previous research claimed. Previously, the estimated date of the use of… Read More
UWM Anthropology is searching for qualified candidates to apply for the position of Assistant/Associate Professor in Great Lakes Archaeology. This is an important position within the department and will be the cornerstone of our Midwest Archaeological program. Please follow the… Read More