"Bioarchaeology is an important book for all bioarchaeologists and for many biological anthropologists and archaeologists. As the title indicates, the chapters provide the context for the origin, historical development, and present state of bioarchaeological studies. In the current revisionist climate it is imperative for scholars to understand the context in which earlier studies were conducted and the questions that were of interest to individual scholars in the past. Each of the 16 chapters is written with an historical approach, often with interesting quotations that provide a window into the scholarly climate of the day. A wealth of primary references is provided. All references appear at the end of the book, rather than at the end of each chapter...Overall, the book provides a firm foundation for the history of bioarchaeology and the context for more recent scholarship. It could be used as a text for courses on the history and developments of physical anthropology and bioarchaeology. It would also be a good supplemental text for courses on archaeological history, method, and theory. The chapters and introductory material provide students and professionals with an understanding of the diversity of approaches over time and in different countries with respect to the context in which human remains are studied and interpreted. Since most students, in my experience, tend not to see the relevance of the historical developments in a field, this book is particularly important because it presents that relevance in the context of current research and future directions."
- American Journal of Human Biology
"The concept of bioarchaeology is powerful and its impact, in whatever guise, on the interpretation of human skeletal remains cannot be underestimated. Given the importance of anthropology as a subject in North American scholarship, in particular the fruitful adherence to a four- (sometimes only three-) field approach, for which many envy the American academic landscape, the attempt to propose an edited volume on an approach to the history of bioarchaeology is welcome and justified. ...The volume has the potential to become a point of reference for some time to come."
- Holger Schutkowski, University of Bradford
"I believe that Buikstra and Beck are offering a valuable contribution to our field...If I have the opportunity to teach a course in 'history of physical anthropology,' I would certainly consider this as a text."
- Lee Meadows Jantz, University of Tennessee
"... I think it will appeal to many in anthropology, archaeology, and the history and philosophy of science. It is a testament to the coming of age of the biological anthropology sub-discipline and also begins to make a claim to realising a body of theory that should more firmly link this sub-discipline to archaeology."
- Christopher Knuesel, University of Bradford
"This is a book whose time has come....The list of authors reads like a 'who's who' of American bioarchaeology. Some of them are the direct descendents of the founding figures of the discipline in this country....I believe that this book will be quite valuable for both research and teaching and will serve as a major reference for many years to come.
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- Kent Buehler, University of Oklahoma
"Because bioarchaeology crosses subdiscipline boundaries, the book should appeal to a wide range of anthropologists. It would be useful in any anthropological history course and in bioarchaeology courses at the graduate level."
- Brenda Baker, Arizona State University