Forensic Anthropology Contemporary Theory and Practice

Despite a history of more than 30 years, forensic anthropology is, in many ways, still in its infancy. Its early practitioners were by necessity self-taught, and the field has developed in a largely reactionary, ad hoc manner. This text, designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate coursesin forensic anthropology, provides information that reflects the current and future needs of this rapidly professionalizing field. It unites theoretical and methodological knowledge drawn from anthropology and the forensic sciences and offers thought-provoking case studies and discussion. Co-writtenby a foremost authority in the field of forensic anthropology and an anthropologist whose fieldwork for a medical examiner's office has included forensic identification in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Darfur, this volume is the first comprehensive forensic anthropology text; it examines medical, legal,ethical, and humanitarian issues associated with forensic anthropology, biohistory (the use of modern forensic methods in identifying remains of prominent historical figures), and current forensic methods.