Histories of American Physical Anthropology in the Twentieth Century

Histories of American Physical Anthropology in the Twentieth Century chronicles the growth and progress of the field of physical anthropology in the United States, from its professional origins in the late 1800s up to its modern transformation in the late 1900s, when it became known as biological anthropology. Michael A. Little and Kenneth A. R. Kennedy have assembled an impressive group of thirteen scholars and anthropologists to elaborate on some of the various people, ideas, traditions, and organizations that have contributed to the advancement of biological anthropology, which today focuses on the study of human variation and evolution. They highlight episodes that contributed to the evolution of biological anthropology into a science, touching on the shift from antiquated nineteenth-century practices to the contemporary application of modern scientific inquiry within the field.

Michael A. Little is distinguished professor of anthropology at the State University of New York at Binghamton. Kenneth A. R. Kennedy is professor emeritus in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University.