Written Assignment 1 - Anthropology

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College of the Canyons *

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Anthropology

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Jun 1, 2024

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Aaron Silverman April 22, 2024 Physical Anthropology Activity 1: Forensic Anthropology as Applied Anthropology (1) Provide a summary of the FAFG project, making sure to address key issues raised in the NPR story “Group Works to Identify Remains in Guatemala” and Fredy Peccerelli’s TED Talk. Also, explain what you found most interesting or compelling about the work of the FAFG? -The FAFG Project dispatched Forensic Anthropologists to Guatemala to aid in excavating and returning the remains of victims from political massacres to their families. Anthropologists analyze bones to determine causes of death and assess inflicted trauma. Yet, obtaining families' consent for excavations and tests posed challenges. The project aims to bring perpetrators to justice, taking the ones responsible to trial. Still, families didn’t cooperate due to fear of living alongside potential murderers within their community. What's truly sad is these mass killings were done by the military and police, the ones who were supposed to protect the community. The most notable thing and compelling thing about the work of the FAFG was not only how many remains they had to go through, but the honorable work of fighting back against tyranny when others won’t.

(2) Provide a summary of the University of South Florida’s forensic anthropology project at the Dozier School for Boys in Florida. Also, explain what you found most interesting or compelling about the work of the University of South Florida’s forensic anthropology project. -The USF forensic anthropology project at the Dozier School for Boys also involved excavating graves to locate the remains of deceased individuals from this reform school. Here, the boys suffered severe abuse, beatings, and murders, with some deaths undocumented and others reported. The most compelling, yet disturbing part of this work was that through excavation, Forensic Anthropologists and research students discovered 50 more remains than officially reported. While interesting to hear of such severe cases, it still baffles me how situations like this go on for so long without people being held accountable for such horrible actions. How a reform such as this became so corrupt in the first place. (3) How are the FAFG and University of South Florida projects both examples of applied anthropology? Explain and provide specific examples to support your answer. In your answer be sure to relate issues concerning the FAFG and USF work with ideas concerning applied anthropology presented in Chapter 1 of your textbook Introduction to Physical Anthropology and Lectures File 1. In your answer be sure to describe what “applied”

anthropology is and explain how these two projects relate to applied anthropology, providing specific examples to support your answer. -Both the FAFG and USF projects exemplify applied anthropology, as Forensic Anthropologists apply anthropological and archaeological techniques. In the FAFG project, Anthropologists excavate remains of massacre victims, examining them for age, sex, and signs of trauma related to their deaths. Similarly, in the USF project, Anthropologists and researchers excavate the school grounds to find and study the buried remains of boys, aiming to determine the number of graves, victims' ages, and causes of death. DNA extraction from the victims' remains is used in both projects, helping identify and reunite victims with their families. Also, both projects attempt to use the evidence they find to bring the ones responsible to trial and hopefully justice. (4) In Chapter 1 of your textbook, Introduction to Physical Anthropology and in Lectures File 1, you are introduced to the four primary sub-fields or sub-disciplines of anthropology (physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology). Forensic anthropology is most closely associated with physical anthropology. However, forensic anthropology projects often involve the other three sub-fields or sub-disciplines

of anthropology as well (cultural anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology). Having explored the FAFG project’s work in Guatemala and the University of South Florida’s research project at the Dozier School for Boys in Florida, think about how cultural anthropologists, archaeologists, and linguistic anthropologists might contribute to the work in Guatemala and Florida. And then answer the following question: Given what you know about anthropology, in what ways could anthropologists from these other sub-fields (sub-disciplines) of anthropology assist in the FAFG’s and USF’s project missions? In other words, how might cultural anthropologists, archaeologists, and linguistic anthropologists contribute to forensic anthropology projects like these? -In both the FAFG and USF projects, the contributions of cultural anthropologists, archaeologists, and linguistic anthropologists would be incredibly valuable to the forensic anthropologists. While linguistic anthropologists may not be as useful in the USF project due to there not being language barriers, they would have been a huge help in Guatemala, aiding communication with native populations and potentially unlocking vital information. Cultural Anthropologists would also provide insights into interpreting cultural norms, behaviors, and political contexts, helping shed light on such events. Not only that, but Archaeologists would play a vital role in studying artifacts, bones, plants, and environmental factors. For example, in the USF project, caskets excavated from graves helped determine the year they were made, which aided them in estimating the victims' ages. Similarly, in the Guatemala project, clothing

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