Maxwell Fortin, Photo by W. Lovis, used with permission
The Institute of Museum and Library Services Museums for America Program recently awarded $77, 292 of a total project budget of $151,296 to Co-PIs Dr. William Lovis and Lynne Swanson (Cultural Collections Manager at the MSU Museum) for a project titled “Michigan State University Museum Archaeological Collections Stewardship Project: Compact Storage Upgrades to Cultural Collections Resource Center.” This programmatic and infrastructure improvement grant is designed to provide improved storage conditions and enhance the available storage space for archaeological collections housed at the Collections Resource Center at Central Services building adjacent to Spartan Stadium. Compact storage technology, familiar to many through its use at libraries, can enhance space availability by an additional 1/3 to almost 50%, allowing proper curation of more collections in less space. The compact storage units have already been installed, and many collections are already being moved into the renovated storage facility.
In tandem with the infrastructural improvements that accrue from compact storage, many of the archaeological collections are being brought up to contemporary museum curation standards by rehousing them in appropriate acid and chloride-free materials. This work is being undertaken by undergraduate anthropology students, both those supported by the grant and volunteers seeking hands on experience in museum collections management.
Maxwell Fortin (above) is a senior Anthropology undergraduate working on the project. He has been involved with rehousing the archaeological collections into proper archival boxes and bags for storage, as well as aiding in supervising the student volunteers. Maxwell states “I began helping with this process my freshman year as a volunteer and it has been very rewarding to see the project come into fruition as I graduate from MSU.” An Anthropology Department-supported graduate assistant supervises the activities. It is hoped that by the end of Fall Semester 2014 that the majority of the rehousing will be completed, and that the collections will be in better and more accessible condition for use by researchers.
After graduation from City College of New York (B.S. 1951), Dr. Bernard Gallin began his graduate studies at Cornell University, majoring in anthropology and China studies. One year later, in 1952, he enrolled in a 10-week summer Chinese language program at Yale University, intending to return to Cornell. Because of the Korean War, however, he was drafted into the army for two years (1952-54). Given his Chinese language training, he was assigned to Tokyo, Japan, as a China research specialist. As a result, his commitment to a career in China studies and anthropology crystallized.
Soon after Dr. Gallin’s army discharge and return to graduate work at Cornell, he and his wife and research partner, Rita S. Gallin, (MSU Professor Emerita of Sociology), spent two years in Taiwan, where he did his Ph.D. dissertation field work. In the spring of 1959, they returned to Cornell, where he began writing his dissertation.
Like other graduate students at the time, he left the dissertation unfinished to teach at Wayne State University, followed by another year teaching at SUNY Binghamton. Finally, in Fall, 1962, he arrived at MSU’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology, which shortly thereafter became the Department of Anthropology. In the 12 years that followed Dr. Gallin’s arrival, he taught, served as the department’s chair, and made multiple trips to Taiwan to conduct research. Since retiring from the university in 2002 as Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Dr. Gallin has continued his research on Taiwan. Based on his years of fieldwork, he has authored and co-authored numerous publications with Rita.
As the first Western anthropologist to do a Taiwanese village ethnography, his dissertation research focused on Taiwanese culture in a single village and that community’s relationships with other villages in the local area and with its urban migrants. With Taiwan’s industrialization, he continued research in the same village as well as with migrant families from the village living in Taipei and its suburbs. In the late 1990s he also followed villagers to several southeastern industrializing centers in Fujian Province on the China Mainland (People’s Republic of China or PRC). There they pursued temporary work and business opportunities and joined tours to sightsee and to participate in religious activities.
As an aspiring China specialist, why, in 1956, did Dr. Gallin opt to work in Taiwan rather than on the PRC Mainland where the Taiwanese people’s ancestors had originally emigrated? Between 1949 and the late 1970s, research on the China Mainland was impossible for almost all Westerners. The PRC refused to admit Western researchers, and the U.S. would not permit Americans to go to the PRC. Further, most American China-oriented-scholars were unwilling to work in Kuomintang-held Taiwan. They considered it a police-state controlled by the corrupt and dictatorial Chiang Kai-shek’s Chinese Nationalist government.
Dr. Gallin agreed with their sentiments but decided to go to Taiwan for China field research. In his view, Taiwan would be the closest he could get to Mainland China to conduct research. He believed that the socio-cultural life of Taiwan’s main population would likely approximate that of the southeastern Mainland area of Fujian Province, from which most of the ancestors of the Taiwanese population had migrated, beginning in the mid-1600s. In the years since his original field work, American China researchers flowed to Taiwan to carry on research.
During Dr. Gallin’s years of research, as with many anthropology field workers, he gradually became involved in the villagers’ lives. Before the end of his first year of field work, a serious village problem developed, in which he inadvertently became involved. For Dr. Gallin the situation raised issues regarding a researcher’s personal intervention, or even involvement, in field situations. In this situation, Dr. Gallin felt he had no choice, if he was to continue living in the village and carry on his work successfully. Luckily, his intervention had a very positive effect and he realized how much better off he was by becoming involved. That decision helped him over the next 50 years to continue research with residents in the village area and its migrants in Taiwan’s cities, as well as in the PRC. That initial instance of intervention made him understand the necessity for flexibility in field research. In the years that followed, his involvement brought him the villagers’ respect and confidence, attributes necessary for successful field work. In 2006 the County government made his wife and himself Honorary Citizens of Chang-hua County.
The Gallins’ research findings from their many years of Taiwan field research provided valuable analysis of Taiwanese society and cultural life as it is compared to that of both traditional and PRC Mainland China, especially now as the PRC rapidly develops a capitalist-like socio-economic system, although under continuing Communist political rule. His own findings have demonstrated that much of the socio-economic and cultural patterns of family, kinship, economics and religion, whether in Taiwan or in various related PRC Mainland areas, appear to be undergoing much of their developmental and socio-cultural change along similar lines.
Dr. Moniruzzaman, Photo by MSU’s Presidential Report, used with permission
Dr. Monir Moniruzzaman first became interested in Anthropology during his undergraduate studies in Bangladesh at Jahangirnagar University. He finished his undergraduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology and stayed another year at the university to complete a Masters in Anthropology. He then taught Anthropology at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology for three years. In 2000, he left for Canada to continue his graduate education. He received his Master of Arts from University of Western Ontario in 2003 and his PhD from University of Toronto in 2010.
It was during his studies in Canada that Dr. Moniruzzaman developed his current research interests on human organ trafficking in Bangladesh. For his Masters he examined how organ transplant raises serious ethical questions, as spare body parts become commoditized through new technology. His PhD was focused on exploring the underworld of kidney trafficking from living donors in Bangladesh. Due to the fact that the entire process and trade is illegal, fieldwork was extremely difficult. The act of selling organs is also socially stigmatized, making it more difficult to locate the sellers and talk to them about their experiences. Dr. Moniruzzaman learned to navigate these difficulties, but it was a highly challenging and risky process.
Dr. Moniruzzaman’s PhD research revealed the processes and experiences of kidney sellers in Bangladesh. He concluded that organ trafficking is utterly unethical: organ extraction is a form of violence and exploitation of the poor, imposing a terrible cost of harm and suffering. His research offers insight into bioethics and broadens debates on human rights, by examining the exploitation of the poor population,violence against their bodies, and suffering of their embodied selves, all of which generate a novel form of bodily inequality. His last fieldwork was in 2013, consisting of interviews with a liver seller (who sold part of his liver), his recipient, liver specialists and organ brokers to examine the emerging liver trafficking in Bangladesh and beyond.
Dr. Moniruzzaman’s work has been shared and published in a wide variety of formats and was even transformed into a successful art installation piece. He has been published in Medical Anthropology Quarterly, Journal of Social Studies, and several edited volumes. He has given testimonial on global organ trafficking to the US Congressional Human Rights Commission and the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. BBC, the Atlantic, ABC, NPR WKAR, and Discover Magazine have also featured his work and interviewed him. In 2012, MSU’s President Simon highlighted Dr. Moniruzzaman’s work as part of her annual report of the university, an honor for himself and the Department.
Dr. Moniruzzaman is planning to return to the field to continue his research on illegal organ trafficking. Currently, he is writing an article on liver organ trafficking in Bangladesh. He wants to continue examining broader bioethical questions based on the deeply moving narratives of organ sellers themselves.
Spring commencement preparations always remind me of how terrific our students are, and what wonderful opportunities our faculty provides for both undergraduate and graduate training. Throughout this newsletter you’ll see examples of undergraduates involved in various faculty-mentored research projects funded by the Provost Undergraduate Research Initiative and the department, volunteer experiences, field schools, peer mentorship, and Anthropology Club field trips and other events.
Watch your email for a special invitation to alumni to connect with our undergraduates. We are planning a fall reception to bring together alums working outside of the academy with undergraduate majors to help students envision the wide variety of directions that their bachelor’s degree may take them.
I am also very happy to note that we recently hired two new faculty members: a Socio-cultural Anthropologist hired as part of MSU’s Water Initiative, and a Forensic Anthropologist. These exciting additions to the faculty will be introduced in the Fall 2014 Newsletter.
During the 2014/2015 Academic Year I will be away in order to intensively focus on my research and Dr. Laurie Medina will guide the department as Acting Chair. Please feel free to contact Dr. Medina or Katy Meyers with your news updates.
MSU.seum is a mobile application that was created by MSU Anthropology professors Dr. Ethan Watrall and Dr. Lynne Goldstein. The free mobile app allows you to explore the archaeology and heritage of the university’s campus, and uses geopositioning to identify the user’s location. For example, if the user was between Linton Hall and MSU Museum, the app would point them to Saints’ Rest, the first dorm on campus. They would learn about the history of this building and the archaeological work that was done there as well. The original design of the app began with the first Cultural Heritage Field School, and based on this first product Dr. Watrall and Dr. Goldstein decided to expand it. They hope to get funding to further develop MSU. seum to include a social aspect that allows for com- munication and discussion online.
Dr. Ellen Elizabeth Foley graduated from MSU in 2002 with a PhD in Anthropology and African Studies. Following graduation, she conducted a post-doc at University of Pennsylvania. In 2009 she received a Fulbright to study HIV and sexual politics in Senegal. She is currently a tenured professor at Clark University in International Development and Social Change, and is currently conducting action-research in Worcester, MA on urban youth and gang violence prevention. Most recently, Dr. Foley published “Your Pocket is What Cures You: The Politics of Health in Senegal”, a book that focuses on the implementation of global health policies, and how these are entangled with social and political inequalities in Senegal.
Dr. Marcy Hessling O’Neil received her PhD from the Department of Anthropology in December 2012, and her dissertation focused on the role that higher education plays in family relationships among students at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Cotonou, Benin. She is teaching courses for the Peace and Justice Specialization at MSU and advises undergraduate students. Dr. O’Neil is the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation for the Youth Entrepreneurs Partners (YEP), which won the Fulbright Alumni Innovation Fund. This helps young entrepreneurs in Benin to create business plans that will be funded by YEP’s microfinance partners. In September 2013, Dr. O’Neil was invited to the UN General Assembly for two meetings related to the Millennium Development goals, and plans to return to Benin next year.
Dr. Michael French Smith graduated from MSU in 1970. Thanks to the advice and support of Dr. Bernard Gallin and Dr. Ralph Nicholas, he went on to do a PhD in Cultural Anthropology at the University of California. While there, he had the good fortune to fall in with Dr. Theodore Schwartz, and was taken as his research assistant in 1973. Dr. Smith went back to Papua New Guinea in 1975-76 to do dissertation research and continued his work there after he received his degree in 1978. The result has been three books on cultural and economic change in Kragur Village. Recently, he gave an Anthropology Brown Bag on his book: “A Faraway, Familiar Place: An Anthropologist Returns to Papua New Guinea”.
Kimya Massey is an alumni of the Anthropology program, and is currently the Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services at the University of Central Florida. Massey works with student-athletes to determine what academic resources they need to be successful, including tutoring, mentoring and academic advising. She learned many lessons from her Anthropology classes and that training has served her well. Understanding the culture, language and customs of coaches, administration, students and parents is critical to communicating effectively and motivating others to be successful. Massey credits her success and love of Anthropology to Dr. Norman Sauer, Dr. Bill Derman and Dr. Todd Fenton. She is proud of her MSU education, and welcomes current students interested in collegiate athletics to contact her.
Joseph Podrasky graduated from the Department of Anthropology in 2011 and spent a year and a half studying in Morocco and Egypt, where he earned another degree in Arabic from MSU. After that, he travelled to Washington, DC and worked for an NGO focused on fostering democratic transitions in the Middle East. He received a 2013 Fulbright research grant to Egypt to study Nationalism in Popular music in Alexandria. Unfortunately, due to security issues, the Fulbright was cancelled. Joseph is still insistent on finding work with business associations in the Middle East as a way to understand the nexus of business and politics in the region and go on to grad school in order to research the role of business in the politics of Middle East.
Rebecca Richart graduated from MSU in 2012 with B.A. degrees in Anthropology, History, and Spanish, and a specialization in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. After graduation, Rebecca served as an AmeriCorps VISTA for one year at the Backside Learning Center (BLC), which provides education, life skills development, and community activities for the equine workers of Churchill Downs. The Undergraduate Anthropology Club and mentoring from professors helped her grow intellectually, and her experience at BLC helped her explore her interests. In Fall 2013, Rebecca entered the Anthropology PhD program at the University of California, Irvine with numerous fellowships, and will study immigrant labor in the horse racing industry. Current undergraduates are welcome to contact her: rrichart@uci.edu.
[These articles are featured in the Winter 2014 Department of Anthropology Newsletter]
Students and faculty from the Department of Anthropology participate in numerous outreach events throughout the year. Here are some of the highlights.
Dana Nyquist with Campus Archaeology and young archaeologist at Science Fest, via Katy Meyers
On April 2013, MSU hosted its first ever Science Fest. The Department of Anthropology had three events including “Dig the Past” at Fenner Nature Center, “Hominid Evolution: What did our ancestors look like?”, and Campus Archaeology Program. Volunteers included Blair Zaid, Amy Michaels, Sylvia Deskaj, Katy Meyers, Sabrina Perlman, Kate Frederick, Julie Fleischman, Ashley Kendell, Nicole Geske, Emily Niespodziewanski, Jen Vollner and others.
At the end of July, MSU also hosted its annual Grandparents University, where grandparents and grandchildren get the chance to attend three days of classes and stay in a dorm. Over three days, the Department of Anthropology had two events including “Bones and the Law: Techniques of Forensic Anthropology” with volunteers Julie Fleischman, Ashley Kendell, Nicole Geske and Jen Vollner, and “Campus Archaeology Program” with volunteers Katy Meyers, Katie Scharra, Ryan Jelso, Josh Schnell, and Marie Schaefer.
Max Forton and a young explorer ‘Dig the Past’ at MSU Museum, via Adrianne Daggett
On September 21, MSU Campus Archaeology hosted its first sessions of “Dig the Past” at the MSU Museum, and on October 26 for Michigan Archaeology day it held its second “Dig the Past”. “Dig the Past” is an education and engagement project created by Adrianne Daggett in which kids learn about archaeology. Visitors can dig, sift, and sort their way towards learning about how archaeology builds knowledge about the human past. The program involves hands-on activities for kids of all ages that occur once monthly during the academic year at the MSU Museum.
[This article is featured in the Winter 2014 Department of Anthropology Newsletter]
For senior undergraduate Bethany Slon, anthropology, and more specifically archaeology, has always been a passion. For as long as she can remember, she was fascinated by ancient populations and what we can learn from archaeology. But it wasn’t until she began her freshman year at Michigan State University that she realized she could take that interest farther, turn it into a major and a career.
Bethany has taken advantage of opportunities to expand her knowledge of archaeology and help narrow down her interests. During her junior year, she was an intern for the Campus Archaeology Program under the direction of Dr. Lynne Goldstein. Bethany spent the fall semester in the archives, looking through old scrapbooks from the 1900s made by the female students of MSU, researching the history of Morrill Hall, and learning about the archaeological significance the building had on the campus. She then presented her findings at the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum in the spring. Additionally, she volunteered at archaeology events around campus, and helped to survey construction on campus to make sure nothing of significance was destroyed.
During Summer 2013, Bethany was a member of the Campus Archaeology Program summer archaeology crew. The team surveyed campus construction, excavated an old road outside of the MSU Museum, and conducted labwork to clean and catalog artifacts.
During June, she participated in a five week field school in Belize, during which she excavated within an ancient Maya burial cave and portions of a small Maya city. Under the direction of Dr. Gabriel Wrobel, she learned how to map caves, uncover delicate skeletons, identify pottery sherds, and properly set up an archaeological site. She spent her days hiking through the dense rainforest with other Spartan peers and learning what it takes to become an archaeologist.
When Bethany got back to East Lansing, she began her funded undergraduate research project studying the teeth of the ancient Maya. In this study she is examining dental health in a Mayan population, in order to determine what kind of diet they ate, and how the population differs from others. In November she will present her findings at the Chacmool Conference for undergraduate and masters research in Calgary.
Bethany plans on attending graduate school next fall. She wants to specialize in bioarchaeology, and hopes to continue her research on the ancient Maya.
[This article is featured in the Winter 2014 Department of Anthropology Newsletter]
Undergraduate Anthropology Club with “The Rock” painted by them, via Undergraduate Anthropology Club Facebook Page
The Undergraduate Anthropology Club provides students with the opportunity to learn about anthropological resources, network with professionals, and further their opportunities within the discipline. The 2013-2015 executive board is President Josh Schnell, Vice President Sarah Skoropa, Treasurer Blake Bass, and Secretary Taylor Flaherty.
Over the Fall semester, they hosted talks by Dr. Howard and Dr. Lovis, toured the Forensic Lab, had a bake sale to raise funds, and a Graduate student panel discussion. Most importantly for MSU’s history, the club painted the famous rock on campus.
Congratulations to our graduate students on their grants and fellowships. If you have accomplishments you would like to share, please send them to us!
April Greenwoodreceived a Fulbright Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad fellowship to conduct research on cross-cultural workplace relationships between Indian employers and African employees in the port city of Tanga, Tanzania. The project is called “’Indian Bosses’ and ‘African Workers’: Race, Stereotype, and Community in Tanga, Tanzania”.
Emily Niespodziewanski was accepted to attend the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Central Identification Laboratory Forensic Science Academy for the Fall 2013 semester. This is a four-month fellowship during which fellows are in residence at the CIL and receive specialized training in forensic anthropology, archaeology, and lab techniques.
Sylvia Deskaj received a Lewis and Clark Exploration Grant from the American Philosophical Society for “Assessing Change and Continuity: Intra- and Inter- Regional Interaction During the Bronze – Iron Age of Northern Albania” which will aid in continuing her dissertation research in Albania.
[This article is featured in the Winter 2014 Department of Anthropology Newsletter]
