News Release

Time at the millennium: 98th meeting of the American Anthropological Association

Meeting Announcement

American Anthropological Association

Whether it's war in the next 1000 years or the quest for queens in the ancient world, anthropologists have a unique outlook on how humans pass the time. The incredible variety of anthropological research will be on display in 2600 papers at the 98th annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association, November 17-21 at the Chicago Hilton and Towers.

Selected Sessions

WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO BE 99% CHIMPANZEE: From sleep patterns in childhood to the contributions of molecular studies, biological anthropologists are on the cutting edge of a diverse field of study. Top people in the field give user-friendly descriptions of advances in molecular studies, how plants domesticated people, sleep patterns in childhood and more.

TIME ON THEIR CLOCK: Could you understand the nature of the American family in three weeks? That's just the kind of task corporate anthropologists tackle every day. The rapidly growing world of business and corporate anthropology includes human resources, marketing and product design; projects might be an assessment of change over time in a hospital or a description of marketing implications of time.

LATEST RESEARCH ON AN EARLY ART: Over 30,000 years ago, Paleolithic people covered the walls of European caves with geometric designs and pictures of lions, bears and horses. Were these drawings decorative, ritual, religious or something else entirely? Jean Clottes, the French archaeologist studying the Chauvet cave-the oldest known, dated at 32,000 years old-describes the latest research at Chauvet and discusses his theories of the shamanic origin of cave art.

WHAT FACTORS MAKE YOU HEALTHY?: Researchers' reliance on race as a defining characteristic hides actual differences in health that could be seen in a study of how ethnicity, socioeconomic status and gender affect health status and chronic diseases. Policymakers, anthropologists who work among ethnic populations and audience members discuss definitions of ethnicity and race, as well as the connections between ethnicity and health.

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE: The 20th century has been notable for wars that blighted millions of lives worldwide, yet people still disagree about the conditions, causes, functions, consequences and meanings of war. Anthropologists discuss past research on war and project trends into the 21st century.

THE NEW "SCIENTIFIC" RACISM: Anthropologists and others have argued for decades that cranial size does not correlate directly with intelligence and neither do race or ethnicity. Copious scientific evidence for this has never stopped racists from espousing the opposite view. Now, a panel of anthropologists and psychologists tackles the latest theories head-on and reviews the history of racist thought from the Spanish Inquisition to The Bell Curve.

IS TIME RUNNING OUT FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION?: Public debates about affirmative action are highly polarized and rest on the assumption that equal opportunity in employment, education and business exist in a "post civil rights era." Scholars from anthropology, economics, sociology, psychology and law discuss the future of affirmative action.

PUBLIC RESPONSES TO HOMELESSNESS: Responding to homelessness most often involves punishment or regulation, rather than help or treatment. Why? From Philadelphia's "Sidewalk Behavior Ordinance" to different treatment for different mothers, presenters describe the plight of the homeless and suggest solutions.

###

AAA Media Relations

Want more information about the meeting? Contact Mara Greengrass, 703-528-1902 x3029, mgreengrass@aaanet.org to receive the press packet and So What's New?: A Topical Press Guide to the Annual Meeting. On the AAA website, you can also read the press packet ( http://www.aaanet.org/press99.htm ), So What's New? ( http://www.aaanet.org/prguide.htm ) and the Preliminary Program ( http://www.aaanet.org/PRELIM_PRO.htm).

The pressroom, located in Conference Room 4L, 4th floor, will be open Wednesday, November 17 from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and Thursday, November 18 through Saturday, November 20, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Show your press credentials at the pressroom, and we'll give you a press pass, a program and a complete list of Abstracts. The meeting is free to press attendees.

The American Anthropological Association, founded in 1902, is the largest professional association for anthropologists. The AAA Press Office can help you with story ideas and put you in touch with the experts in a variety of fields. We have a database of specialists on the latest topics in cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistics and applied anthropology. Our members work for corporations, government agencies, universities and museums.


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.