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List of contents
List of contributors; Acknowledgements; 1. Defining an anthropological biohistorical research agenda: the history, scale, and scope of an emerging discipline Christopher M. Stojanowski and William N. Duncan; 2. Autopsy of past leaders: what remains tell us about them? Philippe Charlier; 3. Game of thrones: Richard III and the creation of cultural heritage Richard Toon and Laurie Stone; 4. The search for Don Francisco de Paula Marin: servant, friend, and advisor to King Kamehameha I, Kingdom of Hawaii Michael Pietrusewsky, Michele Toomay Douglas, Rona M. Ikehara-Quebral and Conrad Mac Goodwin; 5. Unearthing Robert Kennicott: naturalist, explorer, Smithsonian scientist Karin S. Bruwelheide, Sandra S. Schlachtmeyer, Douglas W. Owsley, Vicki E. Simon, Arthur C. Aufderheide, Larry W. Cartmell and Stephan J. Swanson; 6. The influence of the law on the post-mortem narratives of unknown human remains Ryan M. Seidemann; 7. The biohistory of prehistory: mummies and the forensic creation of identity Kenneth C. Nystrom; 8. Talking heads and other specters of the Mountain Meadows Massacre Shannon A. Novak; 9. Facial reconstruction of famous historical figures - between science and art Laura Buti, Giorgio Gruppioni and Stefano Benazzi; 10. The probabilistic basis for identifying individuals in biohistorical research Lyle W. Konigsberg and Lee Meadows Jantz; 11. Known unknowns: forensic science, the nation-state, and the iconic dead Sarah Wagner and Adam Rosenblatt; 12. The biohistory of atrocity and the social life of human remains Claire Moon; 13. Ethical issues in biohistory: NO easy answers! Jane E. Buikstra; 14. Theoretical facets of biohistorical research William N. Duncan and Christopher M. Stojanowski; Index.
About the author
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.
Summary
For decades anthropologists and other scientists have participated in 'post-mortem dissections' of the lives of historical figures, identifying and analyzing bodies. Presenting relevant case studies, this book examines the role of the anthropologist in the writing of histories about the famous and infamous dead and how those histories reflect contemporary social interests.
