‘Marginalized groups in anthropology’ forefront of MSU faculty member’s published research
STARKVILLE, Miss.—A Mississippi State University forensic anthropologist provides a unique approach into how activism and advocacy can be incorporated into the scientific field of forensic anthropology, highlighted in new research published this February in Humans, an international, peer-reviewed anthropology journal.
Jesse Goliath, an assistant professor in MSU’s Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, is part of a multi-university collaboration on the article, “Speaking Truth to Power: Toward a Forensic Anthropology of Advocacy and Activism.” To read the article, visit https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9461/4/1/5.
“Forensic anthropologists are in the unique position to advocate for the populations we serve,” said Goliath. “Sadly, a lot of the forensic casework we receive is related to marginalized groups. This article serves as part of a larger special issue in the journal Humans to explore areas of research that is not typically found in forensic science journals. Even though these areas of research are not usually included, they are nonetheless important to forensic practitioners.”
Goliath and the research team said the field of forensic anthropology has become more diverse in the last several years, bringing new perspectives to a previously homogeneous field.
“The diversification has been accompanied by recognizing the need for advocacy and activism in an effort to support the communities we serve—marginalized communities that are often overrepresented in the forensic population,” Goliath said in the abstract. “Using a North American approach, we detail the scope of the issues, address how advocacy and activism are perceived in the wider discipline of anthropology, and define ways in which advocacy and activism can be utilized more broadly in the areas of casework, research, and education.”
As part of Goliath’s work with marginalized communities, this year he created the Mississippi Repository for Missing and Unidentified Persons, searchable through a website—www.missinginms.msstate.edu—with a public access portal. On Facebook, the database is available @Mississippi Repository for Missing and Unidentified Persons; on Twitter @missinginms; on Instagram @missinginms. For questions, email missinginms@msstate.edu.
Part of MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, for more information about AMEC, visit www.amec.msstate.edu. For more information about the College of Arts and Sciences, visit www.cas.msstate.edu.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.