Anthropology Colloquia: Dr. Joe Hefner

Anthropology Colloquia Series:

Dr. Joe Hefner will present his talk Should Forensic Anthropologists Estimate Population Affinity? The American Southwest as a Case Study.

Abstract:

Today, forensic anthropologists use cranial morphology in identification efforts, but should they? Do these efforts reify the concept of race? Do they actually aid in repatriation efforts to return the recently deceased to their loved ones? Or do they do little more than "wow" medical examiners and law enforcement? To answer these questions and document the historic movements of people and their land usage, Dr. Hefner uses data collected from a historic cemetery in Tucson, Arizona to explore aspects of population movement, biocultural evolution, and the shifting landscape of migration in the American Southwest as backdrop for the current humanitarian crisis along the US/Mexico border. These data and their interpretation contribute to the growing body of literature on human cranial morphology and biological distance analysis.

The Anthropology Colloquia series is co-sponsored by the

Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies.