Anthro-in-Action Speaker Series:
NorQuest [Fall 2020]
Topics covered: Archaeology; biological anthropology; linguistic anthropology; sociocultural anthropology
Discovering New Evidence of Early Pre-Hispanic Sites in Northern Highlands of Ecuador
Paula Torres Peña, MA (Ecuador)
Friday, October 9, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. MST via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
Abstract: Since the 1970s, “Cotocollao” (2405 - 361 cal. BC) was the only known archaeological site from the Formative Period (3500 - 400 cal. BC) in the Northern Highlands of Ecuador. In fact, findings at this site were considered key when a definition of this period was being elaborated by archaeologists. However, in 2011 and 2013, the discovery of the sites “Rancho Bajo” (1610 - 1450 cal. BC) and “Las Orquídeas” (800 - 400 cal. BC), respectively, brought new information to light making archaeologists reconsider everything they thought they knew. Osteological analyses combined with stable isotope analysis provided ground breaking evidence on different practices at each of these sites, particularly, those related to their subsistence. The results of all those studies have also made it possible to observe any changes in diet that may or may not have happened in the subsequent time periods. Thus, the case of these early pre-hispanic sites is a great example of how relevant it is to gather and analyze data from multiple sites and how it can help us to identify and have a better understanding of cultural practices that took place at a regional level.
Biography: Paula Torres Peña is an Ecuadorian archaeologist and biological anthropologist. Since 2010, she has participated in more than twenty different archaeological research projects, often as a bioarchaeological consultant or as a field and laboratory assistant. Many of these archaeological projects have focused on studying early human settlements in the Northern Highlands of Ecuador, some of which were hunter-gatherers or groups contemporary with the first appearance of ceramics. Other projects have studied human settlements of the coastal region or the Amazon.
In 2015, she obtained her Bachelor's degree in Anthropology with a Major in Archaeology from the Pontificia Universidad Católica of Ecuador. Her thesis research focused on analyzing human skeletal remains and studying funerary practices of pre-hispanic settlements in the Quito Valley. Later, in 2018, she completed her Master’s program in Anthropology at the University of Alberta. Her research examined diet in three archaeological sites using stable isotope analysis, after comparing her data to previous studies she was also able to identify dietary changes across three time periods.
Over the last decade, Paula has participated in several national and international conferences and workshops, as well as a forensic expert in police searches in Canada. Recently, Paula, has been a lecturer of physical anthropology in Ecuador.
Who Domesticated Who?
Katherine Bishop, MA (Edmonton)
Friday, October 23, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. MST via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
Abstract: From the foods we eat to the animals we interact with, can you imagine a world with only wild things? Are the ‘wild’ things in our life even truly wild? This lecture will explore human-animal-landscape relationships, how they relate to our evolutionary past, and how they continue to shape our lives today. We will explore examples from our own backyard and travel across time and space. Examples will include baby goats, sweet corn, and thinking about your pets in different ways, all while considering what domestication means for the human condition.
Biography: Katherine is a PhD Candidate in biological anthropology and archaeology. She did her BSc in Medical Sciences (Western), her MA in Biological Anthropology (McMaster), and has worked as an archaeologist and forensic anthropologist throughout Ontario and Alberta. As part of her dissertation work, she investigates animal management practices at Classical and Hellenistic sites in Thessaly, Greece. Her research integrates stable isotope analysis, zooarchaeology, and a modern ethnographic comparative to understand sheep and goat herding practices now and in the past. With teaching interests that include human osteology, forensic anthropology, and human-animal-landscape relationships, Katherine is active in Sci-Comm and public outreach.
The Inseparability of Language and Culture: Excerpts from Canadian Second Language Education and Policy
John Wayne N. dela Cruz, MA (Montreal)
Friday, November 6, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. MST via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
Abstract: Canada’s linguistic and cultural landscape has been diversifying beyond its official English-French languages. Between 2011 and 2016 alone, the number of Canadians who speak more than one language at home grew from 1.9% to 19.4% (Statistics Canada, 2016). More importantly, 70% of these multilingual Canadians reported speaking a home language other than English or French. Yet, monolingual and monocultural ideologies persist in various facets of Canadian society; that is, not all languages and cultures are treated equally. This presentation will explore the inseparability of language and culture, particularly within the context of Canadian second language education and language policies. Concepts of native speakerism and linguicism will be discussed, especially in relation to policies including Canada’s Official Languages Act (1969) and Multiculturalism Act (1988), Québec’s La charte de la langue française (1977), and Alberta’s Languages and School Acts (2000). The presentation concludes with an overview of the advantages and challenges of plurilingual approaches to language education and policies as a potential way forward.
Biography: John Wayne N. dela Cruz is a Filipino-Canadian critical applied linguist researching plurilingualism in the context of second language education and policy. Plurilingualism is a theoretical-pedagogical framework that views languages and cultures as interrelated and interconnected in an individual’s linguistic repertoire.
He is currently completing his PhD in Educational Studies (Language Acquisition) at McGill University, wherein he aims to investigate the impact of monolingual and bilingual policies in Canada to the plurilingual competence, practices, and identities of adult Filipino immigrants learning English and/or French as a second language. Before moving to Montreal to teach ESL, he completed his BA Honours in Anthropology at the University of Alberta. He completed his MA research, which was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, at Concordia University (Montréal). For this project, he investigated the plurilingual practices and identities of adult francophone ESL students at a Montréal college during their pedagogical interactions (i.e., tutoring sessions). His research interests stem from being a Filipino immigrant to Edmonton, and from being a plurilingual second language learner himself—he speaks Tagalog, English, French, and his heritage languages, Ilocano and Kapampangan. Outside of research, he has been teaching ESL using plurilingual pedagogies to francophone Canadian learners at various levels.
Decolonizing Monuments in the Town of Dollars, Philippines
Dada Docot, PhD (Assistant Professor, Purdue)
Friday, November 20, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. MST via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
Abstract: Monuments of slave traders and kings are falling globally. I am drawn to the postcolonial monuments in my hometown amid this ongoing historical reckoning. In this presentation, I introduce three postcolonial monuments constructed by formerly colonized peoples who are piecing together a context that could be described by what I would call “multiple colonialisms.” What would a historical reckoning look like in a country colonized three times for a total of over 400 years? “Decolonization” has emerged as a theory, process, project, and commitment that has become a buzzword in the academy and mainstream conversations. What are the limits of discussions about decolonization happening elsewhere when transposed in multiply colonized places? Looking at varied perspectives on decolonization prompts us to remember that decoloniality could unfold in different ways in different places. Decolonization theory and projects must not be used as a formula in the same way that analytical concepts in anthropology have become routine.
Biography: Dada Docot is an assistant professor of Anthropology at Purdue University whose research focuses on the Philippines and the Filipino diaspora. Her current book project is an ethnographic account of everyday life in the so-called “Town of Dollars,” her hometown located in the Southeast part of Luzon Island, Philippines, that has been radically changed by overseas mobilities. She is committed to expanding conversations on the postcolonial condition that is fatigued by multiple histories of colonization, enduring precarity, and growing global inequality. She can be seen on Twitter @dadadocot.