Anthropology successfully graduated a substantial amount of students this year and we couldn’t be more proud of them. This year we had six PhD students, seven Master’s students, and almost 20 undergraduates finish their degrees. PhD dissertations… Read More
Congratulations are in order for all those who participated in the 15th Annual UWM Undergraduate Research Symposium! The Department of Anthropology had seven students and three faculty members participate this year, one of our largest cohorts yet. The symposium celebrates… 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
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 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 What Neanderthals ate has been an ongoing debate in research communities. A new study on Neanderthal teeth has attempted to provide an answer to this question. Led by Dr. Klervia Jaouen, a researcher at the Observatory Midi… Read More
By Aislinn Sanders Currency, in all its various forms, has been utilized by civilizations throughout history to put value on goods and services, trade these goods and services, and display wealth in all types of physical manners. Early in human… Read More
By Aislinn Sanders Last week, on July 20th, the UWM Anthropology Department co-sponsored an event at the Milwaukee Public Museum for Museum Studies current and future students, alumni, and faculty. The program, which is a graduate certificate program under the… Read More
Timmis Maddox is a PhD student studying Iron Age archaeology at UW-Milwaukee. Student Spotlight asks Timmis about his dissertation research, experiences in graduate school, and what he hopes to do after graduating. We learn that grad school can be a… Read More
On Thursday, April 14th, UWM will be hosting their Day of Giving Event in conjunction with Milwaukee’s unofficial holiday, Milwaukee Day. This year, the Alumni Association is urging all past and current students, parents, and anyone interested in the betterment… Read More