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The new biological anthropology: Bringing Washburn's new physical anthropology into 2010 and beyond—The 2008 AAPA luncheon lecture
Author(s) -
Fuentes Agustin
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.21438
Subject(s) - biological anthropology , anthropology , context (archaeology) , multidisciplinary approach , relevance (law) , evolutionary anthropology , applied anthropology , sociology , history , social science , archaeology , political science , law
Abstract Nearly 60 years ago, Sherwood Washburn issued a call for a “New Physical Anthropology,” a transition from measurement and classification toward a focus on the processes and mechanisms of evolutionary change. He advocated multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to the understanding of human behavior, biology, and history. Many interpret this as a call for a practice that is both biological and anthropological. Is this what we do? Are we biological anthropologists yet? In this essay, I explore what we, Physical Anthropologists, as a discipline are doing in the context of a New Physical Anthropology, where we might be headed, and why this discussion is crucial to our relevance. Yrbk Phys Anthropol 53:2–12, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.