Applied Anthropology Profile: Dr. Kathy Reichs, Forensic Anthropologist, Bestselling Author, and Television Producer

Dr. Kathy Reichs (Source: kathyreichs.com)

If you are familiar with or a fan of the Temperance Brennan novels or the television show, Bones, then you are already familiar with today’s applied anthropologist, Dr. Kathy Reichs.  Reichs began her career as a physical anthropologist turned forensic anthropologist, which she remains in minimal capacities.  She dedicated her more recent pursuits to publishing a series of realistic but fictionalized accounts about forensic anthropology, which allowed her to add television producer to her list of credentials.  Taken together, Reichs’ many accomplishments demonstrate the full scope of ways anthropology can be applied to various career fields, which is what will be addressed further in this post.

 

Dr. Kathy Reichs is a Chicago, Illinois, native who pursued her anthropological studies first in Washington, D.C. and later earned her Masters and Ph.D. in physical anthropology from Northwestern University.  She began her career as a forensic anthropologist shortly thereafter, receiving coveted certifications from the Forensic Academy of Sciences in forensic anthropology and the American Board of Forensic Anthropology.  Her career in forensic anthropology involved various ventures, including acting as an instructor in higher education as well as for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; acting as a consultant for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina and to the Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Québec; working in human rights projects, specifically in the excavation of mass burial sites in Guatemala and Rwanda; testifying as part of the United Nations’ hearing on the Rwandan genocide; as well as working for JPAC in the recovery and identification of American service personnel killed in combat throughout Asia. 

 

It was in the 1990s that Reichs switched gears so to speak and focused her attentions on publishing.  She was already well versed in publishing as she had previously authored a series of forensic anthropology papers and manuals, but this time she worked on a series of fictionalized accounts chronically the hard work of one Temperance Brennan, a character who, muck like Reichs herself, worked in forensic anthropology but most likely in far more adventurous escapades.  Reichs’ first novel received the Ellis Award for Best First Novel.  It was the first of many more accolades to come as her Temperance Brennan novels received wide scale praise from both critics and readers alike, making her a successful fiction author.  The popularity of the book series gave way to the opportunity to sell the story rights for television.  Reichs was retained as both a consultant and producer for the show, Bones, which ran for 12 seasons from 2005 to 2017. 

 

From forensic anthropologist to fiction writer to television producer Dr. Kathy Reichs’ career demonstrates that both traditional and untraditional career paths are available to those who pursue anthropological study. 

 

References

No Author. (2019). About Kathy. Retrieved from Kathy Reichs: https://kathyreichs.com/about-kathy/

 

 

Applying Anthropology: Educational Anthropology

If you are interested in the ways that anthropology can and is used to address and solve real issues that exist in and around the world then this is a blog post for you.  This piece is part of a series of applied anthropology posts that address this very topic.  Today’s blog post is about educational anthropology (also known as anthropology and education), and while it is most applicable to those interested in pursuing work as a educators it does have utility for those who have been or currently are students. 

 

Educational anthropology is the application of anthropological method and theory in educational institutions and communities in order to understand and assess enculturation and cultural transmission among students within education.  In simpler terms, educational anthropologists are concerned with understanding how education affects and transmits cultural norms, values, and beliefs onto those being educated.  This area of anthropological study began during the late 1800s before being formalized in the early 1900s.  Several different and important anthropologists are credited with contributing to this field, but the most notable is George Spindler, a cultural anthropologist who dedicate his career to this pursuit.

 

Educational anthropology requires the use of primarily sociocultural anthropological method and theory, which makes sense since the main concern of this area is to understand the culture of education and how education contributes to forming cultural identities.  As culture is learned it makes sense that sociocultural anthropologists would be concerned with how education acts as a primary socialization agent and in what ways education helps create and inform individuals, specifically students (of all agents), about their culture. 

 

Educational anthropology, however, has grown beyond just understanding the role of education as a cultural socialization agent.  Educational anthropologists are also concerned with issues directly tied to education, specifically how the classroom environment affects teaching and learning.  This often stems from anthropological interests in and the promotion of culture in the classroom, specifically if and when diverse cultural groups exist within the classroom setting.  It is through the research of educational anthropologists that issues related to cultural misunderstandings among students and between faculty and students, faculty and administrators, and communities and schools have been realized.  Case in point, if the curriculum is geared to a specific cultural group (e.g. American culture), but you have a large number of immigrants or international students in the classroom they may have difficulties understanding the lessons being taught.  By realizing these challenges educational anthropologists have aided in identifying appropriate solutions to promote learning and encouraging more culturally inclusive educational practices.

 

In this vein educational anthropologists have also been concerned with issues of diversity in the classroom.  This is related to the aforementioned point about being aware of and culturally sensitive to the audience (i.e. student body), but it also concerns how multicultural matters are addressed in the classroom.  Issues related to providing culturally aware and accurate curriculum, increasing cultural representations in course work, and being aware of biases among students, educators, administrators, or within curriculum that foster unhealthy learning environments have all been brought up and addressed within the field of educational anthropology, thereby promoting solutions meant to help all students and educators.

 

Educational anthropology is a dynamic field that is ever changing but still incredibly important.  It has lost some of its appeal in recent years as it was absorbed by education programs across various academic institutions.  It is, however, an essential aspect of anthropological study, and it remains an important area of applied anthropology.  As education continues to change educational anthropologists continue to be at the forefront of identifying and creating positive solutions.

 

Bibliography

Eddy, Elizabeth M. "Theory, Research, and Application in Educational Anthropology." Anthropology & Education Quarterly (1985): 83-104. Document.

Khoshman, Afaf A. "How Teachers Can Use Anthropology in Classrooms." 13 August 2018. Al-Fanar Media. Electronic. 22 July 2020.

Moursund, David and Harry Wolcott. "Educational Anthropology." 24 September 2016. IAE-Pedia. Electronic. 22 July 2020.

Spindler, George D. "Anthropology & Education: An Overview." Hodges, David Julian. The Anthropology of Education: Classic Readings. Cognella, 2011. Document.

 

 

Nabta Playa: Cradle of Pre-Egyptian Civilization

Figure 1: Map of modern day Egypt and the location of Nabta Playa (circled in red at the bottom) (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Today’s blog post will focus on the discoveries located at the African site of Nabta Playa, located 500 miles south of modern-day Cairo, Egypt (Figure 1).  You may not have heard of it previously, but this is one of the most important Old-World archaeological sites.  It is glorified for providing many of the world’s oldest cultural features, including the oldest man-made astronomical observatories, sorghum domestication, and potentially the foundations for later ancient Egyptian culture and beliefs. 

 

Nabta Playa was part of what the Egyptians called the Nubian Desert, a region located just south of the ancient Egyptian state.  It was first settled in 9000 BC by a group of nomadic pastoralists who may have been drawn to the site due to its natural resources.  This area of Africa was far different from the dry desert climate it is today as it was subject to consistent and seasonal rainfall that provided temporary but substantial lakes and water resources.  The site was developed over the next several thousands of years as the inhabitants constructed megalithic monuments, underground tombs, and various stelae and stone slabs.

 

The most notable megalithic structure identified at Nabta Playa was the large stone circle (Figure 2).  Originally identified by Fred Wendorf in 1973 and later excavated by Wendorf and Romuald Schild in the 1990s it was later determined that the stone circle was used as an early celestial observatory.  In fact, it remains the oldest celestial observatory ever created, beating out Stonehenge by several thousands of years.  The stones used in the megalithic structure aligned with specific stars of the Orion constellation, which is where the evidence of the celestial observatory purpose of the structure comes from.  This idea has also been supported by ethnoarchaeological research that shows that modern African groups utilize the stars for navigation purposes.

Figure 2: Megalithic Stone Circle at Nabta Playa, the world's oldest celestial observatory (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Additionally, the site has a series of large underground tombs.  While no human remains have been reported as being found at the site it has been reported that various domesticated animals, including sheep, goats, and aurochs, the ancestors to modern cows, were buried in these tombs.  It is unclear specifically why these animals were interred there (if it was for sacrifice or burial goods or another purpose), but these remains provide insights into early domestication practices that occurred at the site.  Based on current evidence it appears that the earliest animal domestication practices in Africa may have occurred here or in the region.  In addition, the earliest evidence of sorghum domestication in the world has been credited as occurring at this site, as well as potentially the earliest ceramic manufacture in Africa.

 

The residents of Nabta Playa occupied the site until approximately 5000-3000 BC.  It is believed that a series of droughts and changes from a wet to arid environment drove the Nabta Playa people from the site.  It is believed that they may have moved north, along the Nile, and became the ancestral populations to ancient Egyptians.  This hypothesis has not been fully vetted, but there are several parallels in the ideologies and material culture between early, Pre-Dynastic Egypt and Nabta Playa, thereby supporting the hypothesis.

 

Ultimately, the site of Nabta Playa provides a great deal of insights into early cultural history in Africa and among early human groups.  The level of ingenuity and creativity displayed in the artifacts and monumental architecture of the site demonstrates the greatness of early African people, whose innovations provided the foundations for other great civilizations that occurred after them.  This influence may have also inspired other groups outside of the African continent given the evidence to long distance trade at Nabta Playa, further demonstrating the impact of the Nabta Playa people.

 

References

Betz, E. (2020, June 20). Nabta Playa: The World's First Astronomical Site Was Built in Africa and Is Older Than Stonehenge. Discover Magazine.

Gillan, J. (2018, August 3). Nabta Playa and the Ancient Astronomers of the Nubian Desert . Retrieved from Ancient Origins: https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-africa/nabta-playa-and-ancient-astronomers-nubian-desert-002954

The Human Origin Project. (2019, February 20). The Ancient Astronomy of the Nabta Playa Egyptian Stone Circle. Retrieved from Medium: https://medium.com/@humanoriginproject/the-ancient-astronomy-of-the-nabta-playa-egyptian-stone-circle-c8ecb2800223