Bioarchaeology: Contextual Analysis of Human Remains

by Jane E. Buikstra (Editor)

The core subject matter of bioarchaeology is the lives of past peoples, interpreted anthropologically. Human remains, contextualized archaeologically and historically, form the unit of study. Integrative and frequently inter-disciplinary, bioarchaeology draws methods and theoretical perspectives from across the sciences and the humanities.
The Contextual Study of Human Remains focuses upon North American bioarchaeology, as defined above, which contrasts with European approaches more firmly linked to the study of all organic archaeological residues. Although Buikstra coined this use of Bioarchaeology in the 1970s, the unique approaches of this field of inquiry have much deeper roots, primarly reflected in the history of American Anthropology. This book uses an historical approach to explore this history, to define the current status of the field, and to project the future of bioarchaeology. It is divided into three 1) People and Places - Early Landmarks in Bioarchaeology; 2) Emerging Specialities; and 3) On to the 21st Century.

*Human life histories studied through integration of skeletal biology with archaeological and contextual approaches
*Draws from traditionally distinct sub-disciplines of anthropology
*Multi-disciplinary
*Includes historical, contemporary and future perspective
*Broad array of scholars/scholarship

Genres: Science, Reference, Archaeology

606 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 2006

Reviews

[Riversue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Good technical information - well written for clarity.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the historical development of Bioarchaeology specifically, and Biological Anthropology in general, though predominately focused on the United States, with some discussion of Canada and the UK. However, this is not surprising given the quite distinct developments of the field in North America and Britain; it could hardly be a focused volume if it tried to cover everything. At times the chapters are rather dry, but that is to be expected in a volume that presents a historical view. Still, a very valuable resource for anyone interested in pursuing a career in Bioarchaeology as it is critical to understand how a field has formed - the main influences and perspectives, for example - to fully appreciate current knowledge and research in the field. Many chapters also present exhaustive and interesting discussions of current trends in research approaches and technological developments. Perspectives on ethical aspects are also thoroughly discussed. Co-edited by, arguably, the most important bioarchaeologist in North America over the past 40 years, Jane Buikstra, this is a volume any serious student of human skeletal analysis in archaeological contexts will benefit from reading.

[Kass · Rating 4 out of 5]

The editors of this text did a great job putting together a comprehensive text on bioarchaeology. The authors of the individual chapters discuss the history and background of the discipline, how the field has changed and where it could potentially lead. There is a chapter specifically focused on female contributors (which is great if anyone has to write a paper on the topic!). The section on specialties within the discipline is fairly well done, despite it's limited reach. But it is a good resource for anyone needing to do background research. I found the section on the difference between the US and British approaches to be quite interesting as well.