Women in archaeology have come a long way. They now comprise half of all archaeologists in North America and have surpassed men in the number of archaeology PhDs awarded. They work as the heads of university departments, leaders of field schools, and senior scholars in research institutions. Yet when Linda Cordell (1943–2013) emerged into the field, the landscape was very different.
SAR Press has started a new blog series comprised of interviews with diverse scholars who have recently published or are in the midst of publishing their first book and who can offer guidance and encouragement to colleagues who are just starting to think about publishing. We hope that these interviews make a small contribution to supporting junior scholars as they begin the publishing process.
To celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Senses of Place, SAR Press will host Steven Feld, Amahl Bishara, and Kristina Lyons for a virtual conversation about the book’s impact, as well as more recent developments in the field. This event launches a series of discussions focused on place this summer at SAR. Panelists will discuss earthen architecture at several New World archaeological sites in the US Midwest and coastal Peru, Pueblo architecture at sites across the US Southwest, and more.
In November 1981, anthropologists and tribal representatives gathered on the Pascua Pueblo Yaqui Reservation in southern Arizona for the 89th International Symposium, hosted by the Wenner-Gren Foundation. Although this obscure conference may have been relegated to a footnote in the history of anthropology and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Nicholas Barron, SAR’s 2020 William Y. and Nettie K. Adams summer scholar, argues that its story helps us to better understand consequential, ongoing political processes and Indigenous histories.
Join us on November 4 at 2 p.m. (MST) to hear Warner-Smith discuss “Working Hands, Indebted Bodies: The Bioarchaeology of Labor and Inequality in an Era of Progress.” She is PhD candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Syracuse University and will be speaking as part of our fall Scholar Colloquia series. This online event is free and open to the public.
Although almost any aspect of life can be understood as political in some way, SAR Press has chosen five books on traditionally political subjects—sovereignty, democracy, language revitalization, elections, and walls—for our latest top reads.
Join us on October 21 at 2 p.m. (MDT) to hear Caldwell discuss “Indians in Their Proper Place: Culture Areas, Linguistic Stocks, and the Genealogy of a Map.” He is an assistant professor in the School of Arts and Sciences at SOWELA Technical Community College and will be speaking as part of our fall Scholar Colloquia series. This online event is free and open to the public.
A selection of this year’s resident scholars—who study everything from ancient drinking practices in Chaco Canyon to the newly built Delhi metro—have recommended the SAR Press books they find most useful, thought provoking, or even just enjoyable. We hope you enjoy them, too.
From excavations of Chaco in the early nineteenth century to the latest research on cosmology, monumental architecture, and long-distance trade, SAR has supported scholars who wish to understand and protect this unique place—and shared their findings with other researchers and the public.
Since 1968, SAR’s seminar programs have given time and space to groups of scholars working together to push intellectual and academic boundaries. This year, SAR received a bequest to fund improvements to the Schwartz Seminar House where we host our advanced, short, and research team seminars. Learn more about the life of Pat Kuhlhoff and the programs her generous gift supports.