TY - JOUR
T1 - Stronger Together
T2 - Advancing a Global Bioarchaeology
AU - Baker, Brenda J.
AU - Agarwal, Sabrina C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2017 University of Florida Press.
PY - 2017/6/30
Y1 - 2017/6/30
N2 - Bioarchaeology is a relatively young field that aims to improve our understanding of life, death, and interrelationships among past humans around the globe. The discipline grew out of 1960s American processual archaeology and biological anthropology and emerged as human osteoarchaeology in the UK. Today, bioarchaeology is a vibrant, interdisciplinary field of study that cross-cuts biological anthropology, archaeology, and social theory to situate past peoples within their biological, cultural, and environmental circumstances. The field emphasizes not only the study of human remains but the integrative analysis and interpretation of their context, including the archaeological, sociocultural, and political milieu and the environmental setting in which people lived. The growing interest in bioarchaeological research has created the need for a new peer-reviewed journal to help unify and advance this discipline around the globe. In this introduction to Bioarchaeology International, we trace the origins of the field and the different “schools” of bioarchaeology that have developed and are now merging as the discipline has matured. We then delineate the purpose and goals of the journal, highlighting how the articles in the first issue contribute to those goals. Finally, as co–editors in chief, we describe our vision for contemporary and future directions in bioarchaeology. With this overview of the field and journal, we wish to stimulate discussion and promote international submissions. We intend for Bioarchaeology International to strengthen this growing field and help promote scholarly and public interest in our collective research.
AB - Bioarchaeology is a relatively young field that aims to improve our understanding of life, death, and interrelationships among past humans around the globe. The discipline grew out of 1960s American processual archaeology and biological anthropology and emerged as human osteoarchaeology in the UK. Today, bioarchaeology is a vibrant, interdisciplinary field of study that cross-cuts biological anthropology, archaeology, and social theory to situate past peoples within their biological, cultural, and environmental circumstances. The field emphasizes not only the study of human remains but the integrative analysis and interpretation of their context, including the archaeological, sociocultural, and political milieu and the environmental setting in which people lived. The growing interest in bioarchaeological research has created the need for a new peer-reviewed journal to help unify and advance this discipline around the globe. In this introduction to Bioarchaeology International, we trace the origins of the field and the different “schools” of bioarchaeology that have developed and are now merging as the discipline has matured. We then delineate the purpose and goals of the journal, highlighting how the articles in the first issue contribute to those goals. Finally, as co–editors in chief, we describe our vision for contemporary and future directions in bioarchaeology. With this overview of the field and journal, we wish to stimulate discussion and promote international submissions. We intend for Bioarchaeology International to strengthen this growing field and help promote scholarly and public interest in our collective research.
KW - archaeology
KW - biocultural
KW - biological anthropology
KW - funerary archaeology
KW - mortuary behavior
KW - osteoarchaeology
KW - osteology
KW - paleopathology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85057950230&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85057950230&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.5744/bi.2017.1005
DO - 10.5744/bi.2017.1005
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85057950230
SN - 2472-8349
VL - 1
SP - 1
EP - 18
JO - Bioarchaeology International
JF - Bioarchaeology International
IS - 1-2
ER -