What do I do?
In a phrase, I'm interested in studying bodies. I'm an anthropologist, and budding bioarchaeologist working towards both an MA and PhD at UNLV.
The majority of my coursework has dealt with both the biological study of, and social science theorizing about, human bodies. It seeks to bridge gaps between these different bodies of scholarship so as to further scientific knowledge about past people, their health and behavior without losing a lens sensitive to people's identities, experiences and places in society.
In particular, I am interested in the ways in which we can trace the experiences of marginalized individuals through the prehistoric skeletal record. Can we see traces of the capture, trade and movement of women and children? Can we see the process of becoming adult and becoming a man, woman or some other gender in the skeleton? How can we start to examine gender and sexuality in prehistory? Can we expand our understandings of gender to include fluidity without sacrificing the utility of skeletal data? Using an interdisciplinary approach grounded in paleopathology, social theory, behavioral ecology and bioarchaeology I am attempting to answer these questions through graduate research at UNLV.
Finally, I do maintain a small interest in forensic anthropology - particular in regards to the increasing standardization, training and certification of anthropologists as forensic experts. On one hand, I am interested in the refining the estimation of age, sex and stature estimation in subadult skeletal remains and on the other, I am concerned that forensic anthropology needs to return to anthropology and its interests in a holistic approach to group and individual variation rather than focusing solely on skeletal biology and other related fields. To that end, I am interested in reinvigorating interest in the exploration of human skeletal biological variation so as to bring forensic anthropology closer to other disciplines such that its methodology and approach can be better fit within the goals of anthropology - the study of humans and their experiences, variation, history and lives broadly defined.
I am also a committed LGBTQ activist and feminist. I frequently work with other students, faculty, staff and local organizations to educate others about the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community and would like to see people of every walk of life come together in celebration of our differences and similarities. Changing MindsI also write about current politics, campus news and greater issues that I think more students should be engaging with. I have written for local papers and have served as an editor for the
National Association of Student Anthropologist's peer-reviewed e-journal. I also assist in and instruct my own courses in the anthropology department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where I am hoping to complete my MA this year!