Studies in Forensic Biohistory: Anthropological Perspectives

Christopher M. Stojanowski · William N. Duncan

ene 2017 · Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology Libro 75 · Cambridge University Press

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The lives of kings, poets, authors, criminals and celebrities are a perpetual fascination in the media and popular culture, and for decades anthropologists and other scientists have participated in 'post-mortem dissections' of the lives of historical figures. In this field of biohistory, researchers have identified and analyzed these figures' bodies using technologies such as DNA fingerprinting, biochemical assays, and skeletal biology. This book brings together biohistorical case studies for the first time, and considers the role of the anthropologist in the writing of historical narratives surrounding the deceased. Contributors theorize biohistory with respect to the sociology of the body, examining the ethical implications of biohistorical work and the diversity of social theoretical perspectives that researchers' work may relate to. The volume defines scales of biohistorical engagement, providing readers with a critical sense of scale and the different paths to 'historical notoriety' that can emerge with respect to human remains.

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Christopher M. Stojanowski is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Arizona State University. His bioarchaeological work focuses on dental anthropology, the colonial southeastern US, and early and middle Holocene North Africa and North America.

William N. Duncan is an Associate Professor in Biological Anthropology and Archaeology at East Tennessee State University. His research focuses on Mesoamerican cultures and dental anthropology.