Anthropology Commons^™

Computed Tomography In Medicolegal Death Investigation: A Critical Review, Trenton Eames

University Honors Theses

The use of computed tomography (CT) scanning in medicolegal death investigations has increased in frequency in recent years. It can be used by investigators to help identify a victim, find a cause of death, or otherwise reveal legally relevant case details. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the research surrounding the use of CT scanning in medicolegal death investigation, focusing in particular on researchers’ scrutiny of the accuracy and precision of this technique within forensic contexts. Thirty-nine research papers were reviewed, with specific attributes and findings examined together in an effort to contextualize CT scanning in medicolegal death investigations. CT scanning …

Letter Report, Re: Analysis By Xrf Of Chert And Jasper Artifacts From Antelope Springs, Matthew Boulanger

Anthropology Research

No abstract provided.

Landesque Capital And Community Organization In A Maya Economic Center: A Case Study At Salinas De Los Nueve Cerros, Guatemala, Alexander Ernesto Rivas

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Many ancient Maya lowland cities developed water-rich landscapes that met the multiple needs of growing populations. The development of landesque capital, in which permanent changes in infrastructure, water procurement, and agricultural productivity are best understood at sites with a long history of occupation. Salinas de los Nueve Cerros was an ancient Maya center that was occupied for approximately 2000 years, surviving the ‘Maya Collapse.’ This site, located in the Maya lowlands, had ties to both highland and lowland communities through its primacy in exporting salt. However, what is not yet understood is whether the commercial population of Nueve Cerros practiced …

Schisms And Boundaries: Islamic Organizations And Sectarianism Between South Asia And Spain, Guillermo Martín-Sáiz

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Since the September 11 attacks, numerous researchers—from security experts and political scientists to sociologists and anthropologists—have discussed how Islamic organizations establish within mosques across Europe and spread sectarianism among Muslims in the region. While these researchers have provided valuable insights, the dynamics that characterize the relationship between these mosques and organizations and the resulting sectarianism seem far from self-explanatory and remain rather unclear.This dissertation focuses on how the intersections between global and local phenomena—the so-called War on Terror and Clash of Civilizations on the one hand, and urban transformations and gentrification on the other—shape support for—and opposition to—Islamic organizations among …

Identity In The Late Woodland Northeast: Interpreting Communities Of Practice From Paste Composition At The Thomas/Luckey And The Losey 3 Sites, Douglas S. Riethmuller

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Thomas/Luckey’s 13th -15th and Losey 3’s 14th-17th century occupations in the Late Woodland Northeast contain assemblages with incongruous regional pottery types; Kelso Corded and an assumed non-local Shenks Ferry. I argue the presence of Shenks Ferry vessels at these two sites indicates the movement of people who reproduced their natal designs upon arrival, rather than trade. The question of whether identity and communities of practice can be discerned from pottery decorations and paste was answered by analyzing sherds with pXRF. While pottery types are based on visual attributes, pXRF looks at elemental composition. Decoration is mimicable, but paste is not; …

Botanical Tour Of Christian Art At The National Museum Of Ancient Art (Lisbon, Portugal), Luis Mendonça De Carvalho, Francisca Maria Fernandes, Maria De Fátima Nunes, Miriam Lopes, Maria Vlachou, Paula Nozes, Ana Maria Costa

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Christian works of art, from the middle XIV to early XIX centuries, were studied in order to contribute to a new perspective of the cultural history of plants in Portuguese and European art displayed at the National Museum of Ancient Art (NMAA). The symbolic use of trees, leaves, flowers and fruits in painting, sculpture and tapestry were compared with theological data from the Bible, Apocrypha Gospels and codes of symbols from the XVII to XX centuries, as well as pictorial data from academic literature and photographic databases. We found 40 botanical taxa used as symbols that aimed to reinforce moral …

Relocated Pilgrimage: An Artistic Via Dolorosa In The Heart Of Amsterdam, Lieke Wijnia

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The route of the iconic Stations of the Cross is not only connected to physical locations of the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, but is also manifest in Catholic churches, processions, and passion plays, as well as heritage sites and shrines around the world. A twenty-first-century relocation of this pilgrimage is the international project Art Stations of the Cross. With the aim to offer artistic reflections on social injustice, each station is represented by an artwork especially located in a heritage site. Presented as a journey of contemplation, the 2019 edition took place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. In this article, participant …

Mount Banahaw’S Enigma Of Power: A Personal Reflection On Signs And Symbols At The Santa Lucia Complex, Katherine B. Arceta

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In the Philippines, Mount Banahaw in Quezon province is a pilgrimage site for locals and believers alike. Considered a holy mountain or even a ‘new’ Jerusalem in a mystical sense, people flock to its forested sacred sites or puwestos. The objectives of this study are (1) to identify signs and symbols within the sacred space of Mount Banahaw; (2) to explain how signs and symbols within the mountain are able to convey various religious meanings to the worshippers and; (3) to understand how pilgrims derive and interpret the meanings associated with these signs and symbols. The author retraces a pilgrim’s …

The Imprint Of The Pilgrimage An Ethnography Of A Tattoo Studio In Jerusalem, Mustafa Diktaş

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Several major religions exhibit complex attitudes towards self-mutilation and adornment. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity forbid marking the body and associate it with sin. Still, many people apparently have continued to feel a need for confirmation of their religion and their religious journeys by marking their bodies. This ethnographic study focuses on the recent situation in pilgrimage tattooing, utilising the local and daily processes of a tattoo shop called Razzouk Tattoo located in the Christian quarter of the old city of Jerusalem. The aim of this paper is not only to give a panoptic view of the tattoo studio but also …

Antarctica And The Southern Ocean, Jessica Blunden, Derek S. Arndt, E. Povl Abrahamsen, Sandra Barreira, Cecilia M. Bitz, Amy Butler, Kyle R. Clem, Steve Colwell, Lawrence Coy, Jos De Laat, Marcel D. Du Plessis, Ryan L. Fogt, Helen Amanda Fricker, John Fyfe, Alex S. Gardner, Sarah T. Gille, Tessa Gorte, L. Gregor, Will Hobbs, Bryan Johnson, Eric Keenan, Linda M. Keller, Natalya A. Kramarova, Matthew A. Lazzara, Jan T.M. Lenaerts, Jan L. Lieser, Hongxing Liu, Craig S. Long, Michelle Maclennan, Robert A. Massom, François Massonnet, Matthew R. Mazloff

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Best Practices For Survey Research With Agricultural Producers, Edem Avemegah, Wei Gu, Abdelrahim Abulbasher, Kristen Koci, Ayorinde Ogunyiola, Joyce Edful, Shuang Li, Kylie Barington, Tong Wang, Deepthi Kolady, Lora Perkins, A. Joshua Leffler, Péter Kovács, Jason D. Clark, David E. Clay, Jessica Ulrich-Schad

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

To improve the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture, information is needed on how to target research, teaching, and outreach programs. However, conducting survey research in general, and with agricultural producers specifically, is increasingly challenging given issues such as declining response rates and limited resources. While studies examining the best practices for promoting higher response rates exist, few focus explicitly on agricultural producers. In three separate surveys conducted with agricultural producers in South Dakota in 2018 and 2019, we included experiments testing how token pre-incentives, a research partnership, and response mode options impacted response rates. We also examined how sample …

Civic Engagement Amid Civil Unrest: Haitian Social Scientists Working At Home, Nadège Nau

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Unlike many of the autoethnographic accounts in world anthropologies discourse, this study employs critical educational ethnography to both address the geopolitics of Haitian anthropology while also spotlighting an understudied group: university faculty. This study addresses: What are the conditions of academic labor for anthropology professors working in Haiti? Moreover, what is the price of being an anthropology professor at the School of Ethnology at the State University of Haiti (UEH), and how do professors add meaningful value to their labor through sacrifice, ingenuity, and civic engagement? Despite professors’ work-related challenges and Haiti’s severe “brain drain” levels, for many professors, their …

We Do Not Have Borders: Greater Somalia And The Predicaments Of Belonging In Kenya, Bashir Haji

The Journal of Social Encounters

Karen Weitzberg opens her book with a proverb from the early Somali independence era: “wherever the camel goes, that is Somalia.” This quote sets the precedence for the book illustrating Somalis’ rocky relationship with borders. Originally, Somalis were nomadic pastoralists that frequently moved around, crossing borders. However, after many African countries gained independence, new border lines were drawn up. As a result of this new reality, many Somali clans were forced to claim their territorial land and were also shut out from other regions, thereby impacting their way of life. Weitzberg, a Stanford graduate with a background in African and …

Two Books On Peace Education And Advocacy From The Philippines, Patricia M. Mische

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Peace Education In The Philippines: Measuring Impact, Jasmin Nario-Galace

The Journal of Social Encounters

In this essay I discuss the education and experiences that were important for my formation as a Peace Educator and Advocate. The essay also briefly looks at the issue of peace research, teaching and activism, and how we at the Miriam College –Center for Peace Education believe that research and teaching are important but not enough. I recount research I helped to conduct that shows that peace education had a positive impact on those who participated in it, and then go on to describe our successful Iobbying efforts with the Philippine government and at the United Nations. I conclude with …

Peace Education In The Philippines: My Journey As A Peace Educator And Some Lessons Learned, Loreta Navarro-Castro

The Journal of Social Encounters

In this essay I discuss the development of Peace Education in the Philippines. I also discuss my journey as a peace educator and organizer of peace education. I conclude with lessons that I learned in my work that may be useful for others interested in Peace Education and Advocacy.

Reflections On Peace Education And The Philippines, Patricia M. Mische

The Journal of Social Encounters

This essay, written at the request of JSE editors as an introduction to its special section on Peace Education in the Philippines, discusses the meaning and importance of educating for peace in a globally interdependent but fractured world; shares reflections from the author’s personal journey as a learner/teacher/researcher engaged in peace education, with special attention to her experience in peace education in the Philippines from 1979 to 2020; and introduces two very accomplished Philippine peace educators and their work.

The Mischaracterization Of The Pakhtun-Islamic Peace Culture Created By Abdul Ghaffar Khan And The Khudai Khidmatgars, Shelini Harris

The Journal of Social Encounters

Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his Khudai Khidmatgar Movement, whose peace activities included nonviolent resistance to British rule in India, have remained relatively unknown despite the magnitude of their achievement and significance (100,000 strong peace army). Even among appreciative peace scholars their nonviolence has been mischaracterized as an adoption of Gandhi’s teachings; Khan is referred to as the Muslim Gandhi. I argue that this is due to a reliance on biased colonial sources, concomitant racist characterization of the Pakhtuns and Islam, and an insufficient understanding of violence. I illustrate how this movement’s motivation and inspiration were deeply rooted in Pakhtun culture …

Jesus, The Last Scapegoat: A Chinese-Indonesian Christian Theological Imagination For Peacebuilding And Reconciliation, Hans Harmakaputra

The Journal of Social Encounters

After enduring the systematic oppression under Suharto’s three-decade regime (1967-1998) in Indonesia through discriminatory policies, Chinese-Indonesians suffered an enormous loss in the 1998 riots that signified the end of Suharto’s regime. Many Chinese-Indonesians were killed, raped, and displaced. A few years later, the new government abolished the discriminatory policies against Chinese-Indonesians, and they started to enjoy equality as citizens of Indonesia. However, negativities that resulted from the traumatic experiences cannot be diminished easily. This essay suggests a Chinese-Indonesian Christian theological imagination of Jesus’ crucifixion that aims to deal with communal trauma and contribute to the peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts. This …

Julius Nyerere’S Understanding Of African Socialism, Human Rights And Equality, Fr. Innocent Simon Sanga, Ron Pagnucco

The Journal of Social Encounters

Julius Kambarage Nyerere, African philosopher, anti-colonial leader, first president of the United Republic of Tanzania, and respected international statesman, served as president of the newly independent Tanzania from 1964 through 1985., after which he remained politically active in Tanzania and on the global stage. Trying to steer a post-colonial course of self-reliance, he developed and implemented African Socialism in Tanzania, articulated in the Arusha Declaration in 1967. As an anti-colonial leader, Nyerere referred to international human rights standards such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and maintained a commitment to human rights as president and afterwards. In this essay …

Tribute To John S. Mbiti, Joseph G. Healey, Mm

The Journal of Social Encounters

We continue to mourn John S. Mbiti, the Kenyan professor, author and theologian who died in Switzerland on 6 October, 2019 at the age of 87. He was one of the founders of our African Proverbs Project and the African Proverbs Working Group. He was one of cornerstones of our African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories Website.

Of Religion And Technology: Karachi’S Parsis Take A Unique Approach To Covid-19 Limitations, Anushe Engineer

EnviroLab Asia

As a result of Amid Karachi, Pakistan's "smart lockdown" during the COVID-19 pandemic, local Parsis, those of the Zoroarastrian faith, have found technology to have been a blessing: it has enabled them to listen to and participate in the annual communal prayers.

The Property Species: Mine, Yours, And The Human Mind, Bart J. Wilson

Economics Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"Arguing that neither the sciences nor the humanities synthesizes a full account of property, the book offers a cross-disciplinary compromise that is sure to be controversial: Property is a universal and uniquely human custom. Integrating cognitive linguistics with philosophy of property and a fresh look at property disputes in the common law, the book makes the case that symbolic-thinking humans locate the meaning of property within a thing. That is, all human beings and only human beings have property in things, and at its core, property rests on custom, not rights. Such an alternative to conventional thinking contends that the …

Knowing Your Rights In Trump’S America: Paper Trails Of Community Empowerment, Ruth Gomberg-Munoz

Anthropology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This essay traces the circulation and changing meanings of documents in community education and empowerment campaigns in the wake of Trump’s 2016 election. In particular, I examine how advocates use community education to create and exploit legal gray areas as they advance competing interpretations and uses of documents in sociolegal arenas. I also explore how local campaigns for “sanctuary” seek to sever paper trails of documents that can expose immigrant community members to federal immigration agencies. Finally, as documents form new paper trails through deportation, I attend to their changing meanings as they travel in new directions, traverse jurisdictional boundaries, …

Relationship Of Posterior Intracranial Venous Structures In Homo Sapiens And Handedness, Brianne Finley

Theses and Dissertations

The transverse sinus spans the endocranial surface of the occipital bone and ultimately transmits deoxygenated blood to the sigmoid sinus and jugular vein en route to the heart. This paired sinus tends to be more defined on either the left or right side in human crania. Left and right dominance, or the use of one side of the body more than the other, leaves traces on the human skeleton. Methods to determine handedness upon examination of various elements of the human skeleton mostly focus on the use of the extremities, while little research exists examining the skull for evidence of …

Benediction: The Teachings Of Chief Kwaxsistalla Adam Dick And The Atla’Gimma (“Spirits Of The Forest”) Dance, Douglas Deur, Kim Recalma-Clutesi, William White

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Like the symposium that inspired this book, its contents are preceded by the words of Chief Kwaxsistalla wath-thla Adam Dick. His name, Kwaxsistalla – bequeathed to him by his father and grandfather, who had inherited the name from generations going back to the beginning of remembered time – is a chiefly title that means “smoke from his fire reaches around the world.” He was chief of the Qawadiliqalla (Wolf) Clan of the Dzawada7enuxw (Tsawataineuk) Kwakwa’kawakw from Kingcome Village on the mainland coast of British Columbia.

Isotopic Analysis Of Human Migration Among The Ancient Maya Of Ambergris Caye, Belize, Rachel L. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses the isotopic composition of tooth enamel from two Maya sites on Ambergris Caye Belize, to identify basic patterns of population movement among the Classic period Maya. Three individuals from San Juan and ten individuals from Chac Balam will shed light on the origin of individuals buried at the sites, including those with nonlocal grave goods. Strontium and oxygen isotope values provide new information on Maya coastal populations and suggest that at least one individual with a distinct body position had a nonlocal origin. Carbon isotope values reveal a childhood diet related to, but not the same as, …

Prostitution During The Pandemic: Findings Show Need For Nordic Model, Debra K. Boyer

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The impact of COVID-19 on sexually exploited individuals provides an opportunity to advance the Nordic Model approach and create lasting change. Although subject to gender-based violence and denied safety net services, commercially sexually exploited women are seldom seen as a “vulnerable” group in the pandemic. Interviews from social service agencies in Seattle, Washington show women are experiencing more physical and sexual violence from sex buyers and women who have exited prostitution are finding their stability and security in jeopardy. Advocates can make the case to address disparities with safety net guarantees and structural change with the adoption of the Nordic …

Creative Expression Through The Gift Of God: The Intertwining Of Creativity And Religion Of The Poor Clares In New Orleans, Louisiana, Maureen Tierney

Master's Theses

This thesis looks at the relationship of art and creativity among the Poor Clares in New Orleans, Louisiana. Through the six sisters, the project addresses the way that religion influences the art that each sister produces. While each sister has had a different experience that drew them to religious life and their artwork, they all agree that their creativity is a gift from God, and this shapes how they engage with their art.

The literature gives an understanding to the role of the artist, and how to understand the nuance in an artist’s choice, when “why” something is produced is …

The Sacred Circle: Ostension In Native American Hoop Dancing, Emma George

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This thesis examines the role of the semiotic concept ostension in folk dance, specifically in Native American hoop dance. Although the discipline of folklore is well-versed in ostension, folk dance has not been examined through this lens. I argue that dance is a form of ostension, of demonstrating a narrative, and this is especially apparent within Native American hoop dancing. I begin with a brief history of Native Americans in North America before discussing the origins of powwows, intertribal culture, and hoop dance. I then look at both the sacred nature and material culture of the modern hoop dance before …