Introduction

A few years ago we began a conversation about how the use of archival data in biological anthropology was changing. Whereas in the past archival research was conducted by a very small number of us (see Foreword, this volume), that number seemed to be growing steadily. In addition, questions, themes, and approaches appeared to be emerging that gave archival research its own character and rationale. Rather than simply being an adjunct, less desirable alternative, or even an afterthought to field or laboratory work, archival research had become the approach of choice for some researchers and some questions. Today, a significant number of physical anthropologists engage in research on populations whose data come primarily from the historical record. In addition, distinctive approaches have emerged from these investigations that can be differentiated from the work of colleagues in, for example, historical demography or the history of medicine (see chapter 14). We also observed that there has been little opportunity to assemble a body of this work or to reflect on its common themes or its contributions to theory and method in physical anthropology. The purpose of this volume is to provide a forum in which researchers who are actively engaged in historical projects present their current research and at the same time more explicitly consider its place in physical anthropological theory and method.

The articles in this volume are new contributions to the physical anthropology literature.