an•thro•pol•o•gy: the broadly-based study of humankind that draws its methods from both the sciences and humanities and includes the fields of cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistics. Vanderbilt's Department of Anthropology emphasizes these subdisciplines to achieve a better understanding of the cultures of the world, past and present. The members of the faculty are internationally prominent for their research and publications on the ancient and modern native cultures of the New World, especially Mesoamerica, the Andes, and Amazonia. The department maintains research interests and active field programs in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, and Chile. Members of the department and its students participate in the activities of the Center for the Americas, the Center for Latin American and Iberian Studies, the Center for the Study of Religion and Culture, the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, and the Learning Sciences Institute. These affiliations enhance and enrich undergraduate and graduate teaching of anthropology at Vanderbilt.  Click here [.pdf or .doc] to read more about our department's interdepartmental and interdisciplinary research and scholarly activities.

In Memoriam:

Pierre Robert Colas (13 January 1976 - 26 August 2008)

Anthropologist Pierre Robert Colas, 32, was shot and killed in his home by assailants on 26 August 2008; his sister Marie, 26, died on 31 August of injuries sustained in the same attack. Robbery was the apparent motive. All murders are tragic, but it is especially poignant when a life on the cusp of a stellar career is taken.

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