Michael H. Crawford

Why would a researcher be willing to subject themselves to scorching heat, frigid conditions, or swarms of Anopheles mosquitoes? For author Michael H. Crawford, the answer is clear. Field research in anthropological genetics helps us answer several basic, universal questions. Who are we? Where did we come from? How did we get here? In Search of Human Evolution synthesizes more than 50 years of Crawford's research on the effects of migration on the evolution of human populations relocated to a series of unique environments. It documents the history of the field of anthropological genetics from its inception in 1973, through the information/computer revolution of the 1980s to the development of molecular characterization of human populations and the sequencing of the human genome. Crawford focuses on various facets of human evolution and migration in eight distinctive regions of the world, including sub-Arctic islands, tropical islands and coastal regions in the northern Caribbean, high valleys and arid regions in Mexico, the Artic taiga, and the plains of the Midwestern United States. Throughout the book, Crawford provides an overview of the importance of conducting fieldwork and the ethics of field research. He examines why individuals and communities participate in such research, and what the future of field research is in these times of epidemics and political instability.

This volume examines the interrelationship of ecology, subsistence pat­ terns, and the observed genetic variation in human populations. Hence, the book is divided conceptually into the following categories: nonhuman primates, hunters and gatherers, nomads, swidden agriculturalists, peas­ ant farmers, religious isolates, and modern and urban aggregates. While many of these populations have experienced (and are experiencing) ac­ culturation as a result of contact with technologically more advanced groups, the genetic structures described in this volume attempt to recon­ struct the traditional patterns as well as genetic changes because of con­ tact. Most chapters also integrate biological (genetic), social, and de­ mographic data within an ecological frame thus presenting a holistic view of the population structures of ecologically distinct groups. The first chapter examines the body of early nonhuman primate lit­ erature that emphasized ecological determinism in effecting the popula­ tion structure of our primate ancestors-relatives. It also examines more recent literature (since 1970) in which it became apparent that greater flexibility exists in primate social structure within specific environmental frameworks. Thus, it appears that our nonhuman primate evolutionary heritage is not one of ecological determinism in social organization but one of flexibility and rapid change suggesting the evolutionary success of our species is based upon a system of flexibility and that social ad­ aptations can be accomplished in a number of diverse ways.

Who are the Native Americans? When and how did they colonize the New World? What proportion of the biological variation in contemporary Amerindian populations was ‘made in America’ and what was brought from Siberia? This book is a unique synthesis of the genetic, archaeological and demographic evidence concerning the native peoples of the Americas, using case studies from contemporary Amerindian and Siberian indigenous groups to unravel the mysteries. It culminates in an examination of the devastating collision between European and Native American cultures following contact, and the legacy of increased incidence of chronic diseases that still accompanies the acculturation of native peoples today. This compelling account will be required reading for all those interested in the anthropology of Native Americans, past, present and future.

Who are the Native Americans? When and how did they colonize the New World? What proportion of the biological variation in contemporary Amerindian populations was ‘made in America’ and what was brought from Siberia? This book is a unique synthesis of the genetic, archaeological and demographic evidence concerning the native peoples of the Americas, using case studies from contemporary Amerindian and Siberian indigenous groups to unravel the mysteries. It culminates in an examination of the devastating collision between European and Native American cultures following contact, and the legacy of increased incidence of chronic diseases that still accompanies the acculturation of native peoples today. This compelling account will be required reading for all those interested in the anthropology of Native Americans, past, present and future.

The aim of this book is to collect in one comprehensive volume a representative selection of ancient sources in translation, with commentary, on the history, institutions, society and economy of the Greek world from c. 750 to 338 BC - that is, the period best known and most important for the evolution of the polis, a form of political community which combined the aspects of city and state in a physical and psychological unity unparalleled either before or since. For us, the inheritors of much that the Greeks created, there is an inherent interest in the way in which they organised their society during these centuries. Although this book assumes no knowledge of Greek, the reader is introduced to a range of key Greek words and concepts which offer a direct insight into the mentality, both collective and individual, of the times. The sources themselves (all of which have been translated by the authors) are supported by introductory commentary, notes, bibliographies, chronological tables and maps. All students and teachers of the history of ancient Greece or of classical civilisation generally will find this book an invaluable tool.

The aim of this book is to collect in one comprehensive volume a representative selection of ancient sources in translation, with commentary, on the history, institutions, society and economy of the Greek world from c. 750 to 338 B.C. - that is, the period best known and most important for the evolution of the polis, a form of political community which combined the aspects of city and state in a physical and psychological unity unparalleled either before or since. For us, the inheritors of much that the Greeks created, there is an inherent interest in the way in which they organised their society during these centuries, in addition to what individual members of that society can still communicate to us, as individuals, through their writings. Although this book assumes no knowledge of Greek, the reader is introduced to a range of key Greek words and concepts which offer a direct insight into the mentality, both collective and individual, of the times. The sources themselves (all of which have been freshly translated by the authors) are supported by introductory commentary, notes, bibliographies, chronological tables and maps. All students and teachers of the history of ancient Greece or of classical civilisation generally will find this book an invaluable tool.