Anthropology Commons^™

Submission Guidelines

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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No abstract provided.

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Reviewers And Referees

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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No abstract provided.

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Why Publish With Mssj?

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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No abstract provided.

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The Courts Closest To The People: The Battle Between Populism And Democracy In The U.S. District Courts, Shruti Rana

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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The U.S. district courts have emerged as a critical site of contested terrain amid the chaos and controversies consuming American law and politics since the start of the second Trump administration. This article examines these frontline courts through the theoretical lens of populism, arguing that they have become a critical institutional flashpoint in the populist assault on constitutional democracy in the United States. As the courts closest to the people, the district courts occupy a unique structural position: They are the fact-finding courts, the most geographically dispersed and professionally diverse tier of the federal judiciary, and often the first institutional …

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Call For Papers: 97th Annual Conference Of The Indiana Academy Of The Social Sciences

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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No abstract provided.

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Author Biographical Notes

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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No abstract provided.

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Editor-In-Chief's Note, Surekha Rao

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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No abstract provided.

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Res Historica, Volume 5, Alpha Rho Epsilon Phi Alpha Theta, Lindsay Rae Smith Privette Phd

Res Historica

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The 2026 journal of historical research by Anderson University students, Res Historica.

The editorial team for this edition of Res Historica was Dr. Lindsay Rae Smith Privette, Julia Ackerman, Callyn Wright, Logan Davis, and John Hinton. Cover art by Mary Beth Lee.

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2nd Place Contest Entry: "Shaping The Ape: Storytelling, Cultural Reflection, And Boundary Negotiation In Human-Ape Zoo Encounters", Abigail Bond Halling

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

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This is Abigail Bond Halling's submission for the 2026 Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize, which won second place. It contains their essay on using library resources, and a summary of their research project on human-primate interactions and projections at the Western zoo site, and their bibliography.

Abigail is a fourth-year student at Chapman University, majoring in Sociology and Anthropology. Their faculty mentors are Dr. Steven Pfaff and Dr. Kyle Harp-Rushing.

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Disparities Between Chronological And Biological Age: A Biocultural Analysis Of Aging In Contemporary Populations, Nicollette S. Appel

Anthropology ETDs

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This dissertation investigates how structural and cultural factors collectively influence the aging process and how these effects manifest in both hard and soft tissues. Chapter 2 used an AI-based CT body composition tool and a CT-based biological age model to examine the relationship between age discrepancy and demographic variables such as sex, race/ethnicity, and manner of death. Results demonstrate significant differences in age discrepancy, with females, Native Americans, and individuals who died of natural causes exhibiting greater discrepancies. Chapters 3 and 4 further evaluate whether anthropological approaches to skeletal aging can be improved by adopting a biocultural perspective. These chapters …

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Summoning Models Of “Decolonization”: Performances Of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai’S Historical Poetry In Contemporary Pakistan, Muhammad Z. Abro

Anthropology ETDs

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This dissertation examines how Shia communities in Sindh, Pakistan, mobilize the poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai as counter-history within a postcolonial order that folds sectarian difference into homogenized national culture. In dominant state and literary discourse, Latif is cast as a universal Sufi poet whose spirituality transcends doctrinal division and secures Sindhi and Pakistani belonging. The performances studied here place pressure on that settlement by treating the Risalo as a medium through which Karbala remains historically present. Drawing on three years of ethnographic fieldwork at the shrine of Shah Abdul Latif in Bhitshah and related sites in Sindh, the …

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Computational Analysis Of Immigration Discourse And Political Polarization: Evidence From U.S. Political Podcasts During The 2024 Presidential Election, Reishiro Kawakami , ‘26

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

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This study examines how immigration is discussed across the U.S. political podcast ecosystem during the 2024 presidential election cycle, with a focus on differences across the political spectrum. While prior research on immigration attitudes has relied heavily on survey data, this study shifts attention to naturally occurring political communication by analyzing large-scale podcast transcripts. Drawing on a novel dataset of over 48,500 episodes (approximately 40,000 hours of audio) from the top 100 political podcasts ranked on Election Day, this paper combines keyword search, topic modeling, and sentiment analysis to investigate both the thematic structure and emotional tone of immigration discourse. …

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Disputing Geographies Of Sanctuaries: Legal Manifestations And Re-Imagined Practices In Adverse State Conditions For Migrants In Philadelphia County And Miami Dade County, Clara Ximena Villalba , ‘26

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

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No abstract provided.

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Exploring Communication Obstacles Of Indigenous Language Speakers (Research Proposal), Robert Vargas

Posters - 2026

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Indigenous languages have been disappearing at an alarming rate. It is estimated that every two weeks an indigenous language dies (Toth, 2022), and the cause of this rapid decline in indigenous language use is too often ignored or unrecognized by non-indigenous language speakers. This study is focused on pinpointing the factors that play into the decline of indigenous languages and how these factors correlate to the experiences indigenous languages speakers face. Through Literature review the findings will highlight the importance of preserving indigenous languages and the benefit indigenous languages can have within cultures and societies.

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The Lithic Assemblage From The 700,000-Year-Old Butchery Site Of Kalinga (Luzon Island, Philippines): New Insights Into Technological Variability In The Early Paleolithic In Island Southeast Asia, Alfred Pawlik, Justin Guibert, Jean-Baptiste Lambard, Gerald John Palaya, Jackie Despriée, Xavier Gallet, John De Vos, Andrea Dominique Cosalan, Paul C.H. Albers, M. Gema Chacón, Thomas Ingicco, Marian C. Reyes

Sociology & Anthropology Department Faculty Publications

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Abstract

Despite a long history of archaeological and paleoanthropological research, our understanding of the Early Paleolithic in Island Southeast Asia remains limited as only a few sites with clear stratigraphic contexts—Mata Menge (Flores Island), Ngebung 2 (Java Island), Calio and Talepu (Sulawesi Island)—have been documented. This scarcity of well-stratified assemblages has led to a poor characterization of technological variability and cultural sequences, which mainly rely on surface collections and early typological classifications/facies (e.g., Pacitanian, Cabengian, Cabalwanian, Liwanian, Arubian, etc.). These classifications, mostly based on a handful of cobble artifacts, have long obscured the technological diversity of early hominin settlements in …

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Mock Interview & Peer Feedback (Assignment), Mccaffrey Brenna Ph.D.

School of Arts & Sciences

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This assignment was developed by SUNY Geneseo Brenna McCaffrey during the spring 2026 semester.

Learning Objectives 

• Identify the skills and preparation required for strong job interviews
• Understand the importance of thoughtful and clear communication with peers
• Practice giving constructive feedback on another person’s performance
• Reflect on receiving constructive feedback and integrating feedback into future behavior

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Anth 322 Borderlands Action Project, Jennifer R. Guzmán Ph.D.

School of Arts & Sciences

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This assignment was developed by SUNY Geneseo Professor Jennifer Guzmán during the spring 2026 semester.

Learning Objectives

• Making a material contribution to liberatory struggles around a borderlands social or environmental issue
• Developing skills that prepare you in career readiness, including
• Skills in critical thinking to address real world issues
• Skills for contributing to greater equity and inclusion
• Skills for teamwork, including valuing what each person brings to the project, building mutually supportive relationships, communicating effectively to make decisions, distributing work equitably, following through on commitments.

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Anth 322: Anthropology Of Borderlands (Syllabus), Jennifer R. Guzmán Ph.D.

School of Arts & Sciences

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This syllabus was developed by SUNY Geneseo Professor Jennifer Guzmán during the spring 2026 semester.

Course Learning Objectives

By participating in this course, you will:

• Gain familiarity with anthropological literature concerning borders, migration, immigration enforcement, and the U.S.-Mexico border
• Explore historical and current immigration policies and their impacts on communities across the borderlands and throughout the Americas
• Learn from people directly affected by migration, including migrants and others who live in the borderlands, and with advocates for migrant justice
• Build connections with people and organizations that are working on humanitarian and migrant justice issues.
• Think critically and intersectionally about solutions …

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A Medical Home: How Pediatrics Challenges Systemic Barriers Through Relationships And Time., Doris Serrano , ‘26

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

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No abstract provided.

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The Willow Who Kept The Secrets Of The Heart, Ana Suarez

Speak for the Trees!

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This digital museum exhibit features the climate change fairy tale The Willow Who Kept the Secrets of the Heart, presented as a written narrative and recorded reading that explores the symbolic relationship between the Weeping Willow, water, and ecological care in the face of climate change. It also includes an infographic highlighting the Weeping Willow’s habitat, characteristics, and environmental challenges in Texas, along with a curator’s talk and curator’s board. The exhibit features an artifact entry using a half-filled vial of water to represent climate instability and the often-overlooked resources that sustain life, as well as a persuasive essay, …

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