UW Mulloy Lecture: "Late Capitalism, Gen X & Global Impact of the End of the American Dream"

From a UW press release:

Sherry B. Ortner, distinguished professor of anthropology at UCLA, will present the University of Wyoming's 15th annual Mulloy Lecture at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 28, in Room 306 of the Classroom Building.

Ortner's presentation, "Late Capitalism, ‘Generation X,' and the Global Impact of the End of the American Dream," will focus on how the American independent film scene emerged as a recognizable cultural movement in the late 1980s. Ortner argues that "the end of the American Dream," an idea associated with so-called Generation X also had a global impact, which she explores through the lens of recent independent films made by and/or about immigrants to the United States. A reception in the Anthropology Building follows Ortner's presentation.

Ortner received her A.B. from Bryn Mawr College and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.  Before going to UCLA in 2004, Ortner taught at Sarah Lawrence College, the University of Michigan, the University of California at Berkeley and Columbia University.

The annual Mulloy Lecture is sponsored by the UW Department of Anthropology in memory of the university's first professional anthropologist, William Mulloy. Starting in 1948 he fostered at UW what is usually called the "four field approach," integrating archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology and linguistic anthropology into a unified program.

For more information call Keith Kanbe at (307) 766-5136.

Author Paul Shankman discusses "The Trashing of Margaret Mead"

Author Paul Shankman will discuss his new book, "The Trashing of Margaret Mead: Anatomy of a Controversy," Friday, Oct. 8, at 4 p.m. in Room 150 of the University of Wyoming Anthropology Building in Laramie.

A University of Colorado professor of anthropology, Shankman has spent years studying the work of Derek Freeman, who has been harshly critical of Mead's work, including her most famous book, 1928's "Coming of Age in Samoa." Mead portrayed an idyllic, non-Western society, free of much sexual restraint and lacking much violence, guilt and anger.

Freeman, an anthropologist, said Mead was wrong and launched a heated public controversy. Shankman first did field work in Samoa in 1966 and has returned periodically since then. He has uncovered new evidence that Freeman's fierce criticism of Mead contained fundamental flaws.

Copies of the book can be purchased at the UW Bookstore, or, following the lecture, in Room 150 of the Anthropology Building.

Gov. Freudenthal signs Archaeology Awareness Month proclamation

From a SPCR press release:

Governor Dave Freudenthal, citing “Wyoming’s enduring bond between past and present in the fabric of human society, recently proclaimed September Wyoming Archaeology Awareness Month during a brief ceremony in his office.

Gov. Freudenthal was joined during the proclamation signing by members of the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service and the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

During the ceremony, Gov. Freudenthal was presented with a framed copy of this year’s poster which features the Tolar Petroglyph Site in Southwestern Wyoming.

The site contains the well preserved image of a Comanche warrior on horseback, elaborately carved into sandstone bedrock and strikingly contrasted with the dark natural varnish of the cliff face. The panel design is likely more than two centuries old.

The site is valued by several Indian nations as a sacred and honored place. The glyph used on this year’s Wyoming Archaeology Awareness Month poster was chosen with the concurrence of the Comanche, Eastern Shoshone, Ute, and Northern Arapaho tribes, a cross-cultural collaboration that benefits all of Wyoming.

“This is a wonderful site and a great opportunity for visitors to see an example of Wyoming culture and history,” Lance Porter of the BLM’s Rock Springs Field Office said. The Tolar Site is located just off I-80 on BLM land.

The WAAM celebration includes the 12th Annual George C. Frison Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology sponsored lecture by Ted Goebel, from the Center for the Study of the First Americans at Texas A&M University. The lecture will be held at the University of Wyoming on September 23.

The 2010 WAAM poster is available free of charge, and may be picked up at the State Historic Preservation Office, Barrett Building, 2301 Central Avenue in Cheyenne, or in Laramie in the Anthropology Building located at 12th and Lewis, Room 312. The posters are also available via mail with a $10 charge to cover mailing costs. Limit one poster per person. Send your request along with a check or money order payable to “Wyoming Archaeology Month” and your name and mailing address to: Judy Wolf, State Historic Preservation Office, Wyoming Archaeology Month, Dept. 3431, 1000 E. University Ave., Laramie, WY 82071.

The 2010 WAAM t-shirts and caps are available at the State Museum Store in Cheyenne, or via http://wyoshpo.state.wy.us/pdf/orderform.pdf  Short-sleeve shirts are available at a cost of $16. Shirts in sizes 2XL are available for an additional $1.50. Long-sleeved shirts are available for $23. Add $1.50 for size 2XL. Caps are available for $15 and chef’s aprons for $20. Proceeds benefit WAAM activities.

For more information about WAAM, please visit http://wyoshpo.state.wy.us/AAmonth/Index.aspx.

Noted linguistic anthropologist Michael Silverstein addresses UW conference July 1

From a UW press release:

The University of Wyoming Department of Anthropology's "Language, Culture and History Conference" starts Thursday, July 1, with a keynote talk by Professor Michael Silverstein, MacArthur Award-winning linguistic anthropologist from the University of Chicago.

He will discuss a "hapax legomenon," at 9 a.m. in the College of Education auditorium. Other sessions will be in Room 150 of the Anthropology Building.

The hapax legomenon is a unique textual example in the Northwestern American Indian language of Kiksht, showing how the use of passive construction reflects the unstable world of the Kiksht and colonizing pressures of the early 1900s, Silverstein says.

The conference will feature nearly 30 presenters from the United States, England and Canada talking on issues including Native American narrative and song, histories of colonialism and language use, international language ideologies, Muslim identity and deaf culture.

Silverstein's talk is sponsored by the Wyoming Humanities Council and refreshments afterwards are sponsored by the journal Ethnohistory. Both are free and open to the public.