Podcasts about crania americana

This is the first of three episodes in the Bioarchaeology, past, present, and future series. This series answers the question "what is bioarchaeology" in an understandable yet nuanced way. This episode, Addressing the Past, covers the basics of bioarchaeology, including how it differs from archaeology, basic methods used, and the history of physical anthropology. It also includes interviews with several prominent bioarchaeologists (Dr. Jane Buikstra, Dr, Clark Larsen, and Dr. Haagen Klaus) about their take on the development of this field of study. The cover art was designed and created by Jona Schlegel, follow her on instagram @archaeoink or check out her website https://jonaschlegel.com/ Follow @thatanthropodcast on Instagram References: Agarwal, S. C. (2024). The bioethics of skeletal anatomy collections from India. Nature Communications, 15(1), 1692. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45738-6 Armelagos, G. J., & Cohen, M. N. (Eds.). (1984). Paleopathology at the Origins of Agriculture. Orlando, FL: Academic Press.  Buikstra, J. E. (1977). Biocultural dimensions of archaeological study: a regional perspective. In Biocultural adaptation in prehistoric America, pp. 67-84.  Cook, D. C. (2006). The old physical anthropology and the New World: a look at the accomplishments of an antiquated paradigm. In Buikstra, J. E., and Beck, L. A. (eds.) Bioarchaeology: The Contextual Analysis of Human Remains. Routledge.  de la Cova, C. (2022). "Ethical issues and considerations for ethically engaging with the Robert J. Terry, Hamann-Todd, and William Montague Cobb anatomical collections." In American Journal of Biological Anthropology, vol. 177, pp. 42-42. Wiley. de la Cova, C. (2020a). Making silenced voices speak: Restoring neglected and ignored identities in anatomical collections. In C. M. Cheverko,J. R. Prince-Buitenhuys, & M. Hubbe (Eds.), Theoretical Perspectives in Bioarchaeology. Routledge, pp. 150–169. de la Cova, C. (2019). Marginalized bodies and the construction of the Robert J. Terry anatomical skeletal collection: a promised land lost. In Mant, M. and Holland, A. (eds.) Bioarchaeology of Marginalized People. Orlando: Academic Press, pp. 133-155.   Larsen, C. (2015). Bioarchaeology: Interpreting Behavior from the Human Skeleton. Cambridge University Press. Morton, S. (1839). Crania Americana or a Comparative View of the Skulls of Various Aboriginal Nations of North and South America: To Which Is Prefixed an Essay on the Varieties of the Human Species; Illustrated by Seventy-Eight Plates and a Colored Map. Philadelphia: J. Dobson. Stienne, A. (2022). Mummified: The stories behind Egyptian mummies in museums, Manchester: Manchester University Press. van der Merwe NJ, Vogel JC. (1978). 13C content of human collagen as a measure of prehistoric diet in Woodland North America. Nature. 276: 815–816. Washburn, S. L. (1951). SECTION OF ANTHROPOLOGY: THE NEW PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY. Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences, 13(7 Series II), 298–304. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2164-0947.1951.tb01033.x

In this episode we talk with Paul Wolff Mitchell, of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, about the skull measurements of 19th century founding father of the American School of Anthropology, Samuel George Morton. Morton used his skull measurements to provide scientific support for polygenism (multiple origins of human races), slavery, and the ranking of races (as we discussed in earlier episodes: Monogenism and Polygenism and Morton and Gould--Polygeny Side B). Mitchell has analyzed Morton’s handwritten notes in an attempt to shed further light on the issue of Morton’s bias which was initially raised by Stephen Jay Gould in his 1978 article (Gould, 1978) and elaborated in his book, The Mismeasure of Man (Gould, 1981, 1996). Mitchell uses Morton’s contemporary, Friedrich Tiedemann, as an exemplar of someone using cranial measurements to come to the exact opposite conclusion, that the races were equal (Tiedemann, 1836). Here are some resources about this controversy: Publications by Mitchell: Mitchell, P. W. (2018). The fault in his seeds: Lost notes to the case of bias in Samuel George Morton’s cranial race science. Plos Biology, 16(10), e2007008. Mitchell, P. W., & Michael, J. S. (2019). Bias, Brains, and Skulls: Tracing the Legacy of Scientific Racism in the Nineteenth-Century Works of Samuel George Morton and Friedrich Tiedemann. In E. August, B. R. Furrow, K. Richter, K. K. Thomason, D. Costello, J. S. Michael, P. W. Mitchell, & U. Bettray (Eds.), Embodied Difference: Divergent Bodies in Public Discourse (pp. 77-98). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. Gould’s paper and book: Gould, S. J. (1978). Morton's ranking of races by cranial capacity. Unconscious manipulation of data may be a scientific norm. Science, 200(4341), 503-509. doi:10.1126/science.347573 Gould, S. J. (1981). The mismeasure of man. New York: WW Norton. Gould, S. J. (1996). The mismeasure of man (Revised and Expanded ed.): WW Norton & Company. Other reconsiderations of the Morton and Gould argument: Kaplan, J. M., Pigliucci, M., & Banta, J. A. (2015). Gould on Morton, Redux: What can the debate reveal about the limits of data? Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 52, 22-31. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsc.2015.01.001 Lewis, J. E., DeGusta, D., Meyer, M. R., Monge, J. M., Mann, A. E., & Holloway, R. L. (2011). The mismeasure of science: Stephen Jay Gould versus Samuel George Morton on skulls and bias. PLoS Biol, 9(6), e1001071. Michael, J. S. (1988). A New Look at Morton's Craniological Research. Current Anthropology, 29(2), 349-354. doi:10.1086/203646 Michael, J. S. (2012, June 14, 2013). Personal Commentary on Morton & Gould Part 1. Retrieved from http://michael1988.com/?page_id=424 Weisberg, M. (2014). Remeasuring man. Evolution & Development, 16(3), 166-178. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.12077 Morton’s work: Morton, S. G. (1844). Crania Aegyptiaca: or, Observations on Egyptian ethnography, derived from anatomy, history, and the monuments (Vol. 9): J. Pennington. Morton, S. G. (1849). Catalogue of Skulls of Man and the Inferior Animals, in the Collection of Samuel George Morton: Merrihew & Thompson, printers. Morton, S. G., & Combe, G. (1839). Crania Americana; or, a comparative view of the skulls of various aboriginal nations of North and South America: to which is prefixed an essay on the varieties of the human species: Philadelphia: J. Dobson; London: Simpkin, Marshall. Tiedemann on skulls: Tiedemann, F. (1836). XXIII. On the Brain of the Negro, Compared with That of the European and the Orang-Outang. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London(126), 497-527. Our episode about Thugee Skulls and phrenology: Phrenology, Race, and Thug Heads

Part three of a three part series dedicated to the naturalist and explorer, John Kirk Townsend. In 1839, Townsend published his journal as a book entitled "A Narrative of a Journey Across the Rocky Mountains to the Columbia River". The journal recounts the then 24 year old's trip from Missouri to the mouth of the Columbia River in 1834, with fellow naturalist and professor Thomas Nuttall.  This narration is slightly abridged by the narrator and is based on an old printing where some excerpts of the original journal were omitted. For a complete version of Townsend's book, go to this link: http://osupress.oregonstate.edu/book/narrative-of-journey-across-rocky-mountains-to-columbia-river For free e-book versions go to www.gutenberg.org here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45238 W. Lindquist's paper :Stealing from the Dead:Scientists, Settlers, and Indian Burial Sites in Early-Nineteenth-Century Oregon  link: https://www.ohs.org/research-and-library/oregon-historical-quarterly/upload/04_Lindquist_Stealing-from-the-Dead_OHQ-115_revised.pdf An ethnohistorical review relating to Fort Vancouver https://www.nps.gov/fova/learn/historyculture/upload/Ethnohistorical-Overview-by-Deur-Accessible-PDF.pdf To learn more about early 19th century Phrenologists, their role in racist policies, and Samuel Morton's  Crania Americana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMVzPCOut1w  

In this episode we go back into the 19th century to talk about the dispute between scientists who thought that all humans came from the same origin (monogenists) and those who were convinced that each race had a separate origin (polygenists). The latter group appear to still have an influence on racial attitudes in the U.S. pushing notions of difference rather than similarity between the races. We see this today especially in ideas about race and athleticism. We focus on Samuel George Morton, Josiah Clark Nott, George Gliddon, and Louis Agassiz. Here are some links that expand on this episode: Cambridge Whipple Library — Morton’s Crania Americana: https://youtu.be/mMVzPCOut1w Types of Mankind (1854): https://archive.org/details/typesmankindore01pattgoog Commentary on Types of Mankind from an Egyptology perspective: http://chnm.gmu.edu/egyptomania/scholarship.php?function=detail&articleid=37 Erik’s chapter on Nott: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057%2F978-1-349-95139-0_2 Louis Agassiz’s travels in Brazil 1850s: http://mirrorofrace.org/machado/

On display at the Whipple Library, Cambridge, is a book described as the 'most important book in the history of scientific racism' Current research into this book is revealing how racist ideas travelled between the United States and Europe in the 19th century. Crania Americana, published in Philadelphia in 1839 by Samuel George Morton, is being studied by Cambridge University PhD student James Poskett at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science. His research has uncovered, for the first time, just how influential this book was in scientific circles that included the likes of Charles Darwin and James Cowles Prichard. www.hps.cam.ac.uk/library/Fpage.html

On display at the Whipple Library, Cambridge, is a book described as the 'most important book in the history of scientific racism' Current research into this book is revealing how racist ideas travelled between the United States and Europe in the 19th century. Crania Americana, published in Philadelphia in 1839 by Samuel George Morton, is being studied by Cambridge University PhD student James Poskett at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science. His research has uncovered, for the first time, just how influential this book was in scientific circles that included the likes of Charles Darwin and James Cowles Prichard. www.hps.cam.ac.uk/library/Fpage.html