Anthropology https://anthro.ufl.edu/ College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:12:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://anthro.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/306/MercuryLogo-OrangeBlock-32x32.png Anthropology https://anthro.ufl.edu/ 32 32 Damian Oakes https://anthro.ufl.edu/2026/03/24/damian-oakes/ Tue, 24 Mar 2026 19:43:04 +0000 https://anthro.ufl.edu/?p=23790 Graduate StudentEmail: doakes@ufl.edu Education Subfield Cultural Anthropology Chair Dr. Abdoulaye Kane Research Interests My research seeks to understand local perceptions of and responses to Spain-Africa Strategy Document (2025-2028) relating to irregular migration by focusing on the lived experiences of social pressure among non-migrants in the Langue de Barbarie, Senegal. In 2024, record numbers of Senegalese and […]

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Graduate Student
Email: doakes@ufl.edu

Education

  • PhD., Anthropology, University of Florida, In Progress
  • M.A., Sustainable Development Practice, University of Florida, 2024
  • M.A., Interpreting and Translation, University of Pretoria, 2015
  • B.S., Political Science and French, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal

Subfield

Cultural Anthropology

Chair

Dr. Abdoulaye Kane

Research Interests

My research seeks to understand local perceptions of and responses to Spain-Africa Strategy Document (2025-2028) relating to irregular migration by focusing on the lived experiences of social pressure among non-migrants in the Langue de Barbarie, Senegal. In 2024, record numbers of Senegalese and West African irregular migrants have arrived in the Canary Islands. Hundreds have lost their lives in these perilous journeys on traditional boats lead by young fishermen from the Senegalese Coastline to the Canary Islands (an estimated 963 miles).

Selected Publications

 “La Traduction et l’interprétation comme lieu idéal de l’interculturalité ? Université MUST “Le traducteur et son texte : Relations dialectiques, difficultés linguistiques et contexte socioculturel” (2013)

Grants, Fellowships, and Awards

Department of Anthropology (UF) – Conference funding (Fall 2025)

Center for African Studies (UF) – Conference funding (Fall 2025)

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Graduate Student Travel Award (Summer 2025)

Center for African Studies Summer Pre-dissertation Research Award (Summer 2025)                                          

Center for European Studies (CES) Graduate Student Travel Award (Summer 2025)                               

Elizabeth Eddy Summer New Graduate Student Research Award (Summer 2025)                                              

First prize in fieldwork poster presentation (2024)                                                                                                

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellow – Arabic language (2025-2025)

Master in Sustainable Development Practice (MDP, UF) – (Summer 2023)                                               

Center for African Studies – Fieldwork Grant, (Summer 2023)

Sahel Research Group – Capstone Project Grant, (Summer 2023)

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]]> Dr. Aaron Broadwell: Bloomfield Award Finalist https://anthro.ufl.edu/2025/11/12/dr-aaron-broadwell-bloomfield-award-finalist/ Wed, 12 Nov 2025 17:48:46 +0000 https://portal.clas.ufl.edu/anthro-mercury/?p=22507 Dr. Aaron Broadwell's new book, The Timucua Language: A Text-Based Reference Grammar (University of Nebraska Press, 2024), has been designated as a Finalist for the Linguistic Society of America's 2026 Leonard Bloomfield Book Award!

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Dr. Aaron Broadwell: Bloomfield Award Finalist

Book cover displaying "George Aaron Broadwell, The Timucua Language, A TEXT-BASED REFERENCE GRAMMAR," with a page of historic handwritten text from the language below it.

Dr. Aaron Broadwell’s new book, The Timucua Language: A Text-Based Reference Grammar (University of Nebraska Press, 2024), has been designated as a Finalist for the Linguistic Society of America’s 2026 Leonard Bloomfield Book Award!

He will be recognized at the Awards Ceremony at the next Linguistic Society of America Annual Meeting in January. This the first year that finalists are selected and honored alongside the winner.

A male faculty member sits at a table in front of bookshelves, next to a large, mended wooden vessel displayed on a pedestal. Book spines visible include "ANDES" and "Le Gabon TAINA".

The Bloomfield Award is the highest honor for a single work in linguistics, and its recipients, and finalists, are those works that make the most significant contributions to our science, exhibiting exemplary scholarship, empirical import, and theoretical acumen. Dr. Broadwell’s book being named a Finalist for this award is in recognition of its excellence.

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]]> Huaca de la Luna Lecture 10/30/25 https://anthro.ufl.edu/2025/10/28/huaca-de-la-luna-lecture-10-30-25/ Tue, 28 Oct 2025 20:00:37 +0000 https://portal.clas.ufl.edu/anthro-mercury/?p=22493 The post Huaca de la Luna Lecture 10/30/25 appeared first on Anthropology.

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Huaca de la Luna Lecture 10/30/25

“>Talk in Spanish by Dr. Alejandro Yepjen Ramos, Director of the School of Archaeology at La Universidad Nacional de Trujillo.

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]]> Rafael Galindo https://anthro.ufl.edu/2025/10/03/rafael-galindo/ Fri, 03 Oct 2025 18:08:57 +0000 https://portal.clas.ufl.edu/anthro-mercury/?p=22454 The post Rafael Galindo appeared first on Anthropology.

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Rafael Galindo

Graduate Student
Email: rgalindocruz@ufl.edu

Education

  • Ph.D. Anthropology, University of Florida, In Progress
  • M.A. in Anthropology from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, class of 2016·
  • B.A. in Anthropology from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, class of 2012

Subfield

Archaeology

Chair

Research Interests

My research interests focus on how variations in the daily activities of the pre-Hispanic population in Latin America gave rise to differential practices in food production and consumption. To analyze food, I focus on organic residues (lipids and starch) and lithic and ceramic materials.

Selected Publications and Presentations

Sandoval, Robert; Galindo, Rafael; Romero, Nidia; Herrera, Karina. 2025 “An Adaptive Methodology for Phytolith Analysis in the Colombian Caribbean: Evidence of Paleoenvironment and Agriculture in La Guajira”. Manuscript accepted in Jangwa Pana. https://doi.org/10.21676/issn.1657-4923

· Vargas Ruíz, J. C., Romero Patiño, I., Soto, L. M., & Galindo Cruz, R. (2023). Patrones de asentamiento prehispánicos y uso de modelos de idoneidad en la evaluación de la guerra en la

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. P. Arguello García, JC Vargas Ruíz, & CH Langebaek Rueda, Cacicazgos en las Américas: Estudios en homenaje a Robert D. Drennan, 77-108.

Presentations

· (PACC-S11-006-2022) Physical Characterization of Prehispanic Ceramic Technologies in the Upper Basin of the Ariari River (Colombia). Pan American Ceramic Congress and Ferroelectrics Meeting of Americas. Type of event: Congress Scope: International Held on: 2022-07-24, 2022-07-28 in Panama City-Panama. R.R. Galindo*; L. Laura; M. Lopez; D. Contreras; V. Benavides; J. Jaramillo; S. Fajardo (Oral presentation)

· Pre-Hispanic diet as a marker of social differentiation, Based on the analysis of organic residues obtained from ceramic material for the archaeological sites of Mesitas (San Agustín) and Suta (Sutamarchan). Colombian Congress of Archeology 2022. Type of event: Congress. National Scope held from March 15 to 17, 2022. Universidad del Cauca. R.Galindo. (Oral presentation)

· Methodological proposal for the identification of human remains in submerged contexts through the use of geographic information systems. 9 th European Meeting on Forensic Archeology EMFA 2020/21 Type of event: Congress Scope: International Held on: 2021-08-26 00:00:00.0, 2021-08-27 00:00:00.0 in Geneva-Switzerland – University of Geneve . E. Quiñones, R. Galindo. (Oral presentation)

· Recreation of pre-Hispanic tombs, a strategy for teaching archeology in the Colombian Caribbean. XIV INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF EDUCAÇÃO AND INOVAÇÃO. Portugal 2020. E. Quiñones, R. Galindo. (Oral presentation)

· Evaluation and Identification of Fatty Acids Contained in Archaeological Ceramics, 40th International Symposium on Archaeometry, Los Angeles, California, 2014. R. Galindo, B. Castro, H. Henderson.(Poster presentation)

Grants, Fellowships, and Awards

  • Elizabeth Eddy Summer New Graduate Student Research Grant, Summer 2024, University of Florida.
  • Latin American Studies Research Grant. Summer 2024, University of Florida
  • Grinter Fellowship, 2023. University of Florida
  • Fonciencias Research Grant, 2021 to 2022. Universidad del Magdalena-Colombia
  • Scholarship-Instituto Francés de Estudios Andinos (IFEA), 2015-2016 (IFEA / UMIFRE CRNS USR 3337) 2015.

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]]> New Degree Fall 2026: Master of Science in Archaeology https://anthro.ufl.edu/2025/09/26/new-degree-master-of-archaeology/ Fri, 26 Sep 2025 18:17:54 +0000 https://portal.clas.ufl.edu/anthro-mercury/?p=22444 Beginning fall 2026 the Department of Anthropology will offer a Terminal MS degree in Archaeology.

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New Degree Fall 2026: Master of Science in Archaeology

Beginning fall 2026 the Department of Anthropology will offer a Terminal MS degree in Archaeology.

Its purpose is to provide specialized instruction and training in Applied Archaeology, a part of Cultural Resource Management (CRM), conducted for compliance with federal, state, and local mandates to identify and protect cultural heritage sites and artifacts in the public interest.

The deadline to apply for admission is March 15, 2026.

Contact Dr. Ken Sassaman (sassaman@ufl.edu) for information and to ensure that this new MS option is a good fit for your career goals.

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]]> Welcome Dr. Sugandh Gupta! https://anthro.ufl.edu/2025/08/25/welcome-dr-sugandh-gupta/ Mon, 25 Aug 2025 17:11:54 +0000 https://portal.clas.ufl.edu/anthro-mercury/?p=22425 New Assistant Professor Dr. Gupta joins the department in Fall 2025.

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Welcome Dr. Sugandh Gupta!

She is a sociocultural medical anthropologist and psychologist. Her research and teaching focus on culture and mental health, anthropology of care, bureaucracy, addiction and recovery studies in South Asia. Her current research, Entangled Care: State, Psychiatry, and Kinship in Jammu City’s De-Addiction Center, examines the impact of long-term militarization and political conflict on state-sponsored substance use treatment for recovering drug users in Jammu City. Her next project will be a multi-sited inquiry into the complex mental health needs of communities in India’s borderlands facing the triple burden of military presence, illicit opioids, and narcoterrorism.

Dr. Sugandh successfully defended her PhD at UNC Chapel Hill on July 1st 2025 and we are delighted to welcome her into our department and community. 

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]]> Chloe Walton https://anthro.ufl.edu/2025/08/22/chloe-walton/ Fri, 22 Aug 2025 19:46:18 +0000 https://portal.clas.ufl.edu/anthro-mercury/?p=22414 The post Chloe Walton appeared first on Anthropology.

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Chloe Walton

Graduate Student
Email: chloe.walton@ufl.edu

Education

  • M.A. Anthropology, University of Florida, In Progress
  • B.A. Anthropology, University of Florida, 2024

Subfield

Archaeology

Chair

Dr. Kenneth Sassaman

Research Interests

Public Archaeology, Sustainability, Ethics, GIS, Field Methods, Indigenous Relations, Conservation, Decolonization, Globalization, Archaeology/Anthropology of Care, Historical Archaeology, Paleontology, Economic Anthropology, Medical Anthropology, Personhood/Identity, Spirituality/Cosmology.

Selected Publications and Presentations

Grants, Fellowships, and Awards

  • Patricia S. Essenpreis Scholarship for Archaeological Field School Award (2024)

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]]> Dr. Kim Valenta Earns Excellence Award for Assistant Professors in Spring 2025 https://anthro.ufl.edu/2025/08/22/dr-kim-valenta-earns-excellence-award-for-assistant-professors-in-spring-2025/ Fri, 22 Aug 2025 18:47:44 +0000 https://portal.clas.ufl.edu/anthro-mercury/?p=22383 Assistant professor, Dr. Kim Valenta was awarded one of two College of Liberal Arts “Excellence Awards” for Assistant Professors for the Spring of 2025.

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Dr. Kim Valenta Earns Excellence Award for Assistant Professors in Spring 2025

Photo Credit https://kimvalenta.com/

Assistant professor, Dr. Kim Valenta was awarded one of two College of Liberal Arts “Excellence Awards” for Assistant Professors for the Spring of 2025.

Dr. Valenta is “an evolutionary ecologist researching the interactions between wild plants and animals and how these can be affected by human activities. My current research is focused on how fruits attract (and leaves deter) mutualists and antagonists in Kibale National Park, Uganda, and on the role of particular odorants in attracting seed dispersing animals in mainland Africa and Madagascar. I am also the co-founder and co-director of the Mad Dog Initiative (www.maddoginitiative.com), and an assistant professor at the University of Florida, in the Department of Anthropology,” (https://kimvalenta.com/).

Students have noted,”Dr. Valenta is passionate, super knowledgeable lecturer. She explains things amazingly and makes the class super interesting. She is also very receptive to class input about tests or ways to study. The lab section is tougher for sure, but still manageable (and taught by a TA). 100 percent would recommend her to anyone,” (Ratemyprofessor.com).

Congratulations Dr. Valenta!

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]]> Marcelo Perez https://anthro.ufl.edu/2025/08/20/marcelo-perez/ Wed, 20 Aug 2025 19:01:52 +0000 https://portal.clas.ufl.edu/anthro-mercury/?p=22366 The post Marcelo Perez appeared first on Anthropology.

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Marcelo Perez

Graduate Student
Email: marcelo.perez@ufl.edu

Education

  • M.A., Anthropology, University of Florida, In Progress
  • B.A. Anthropology, Universidad de los Andes, 2022.
  • B.A. History, Universidad de los Andes, 2023.·

Subfield

Chair

Dr. Augusto Oyuela-Caycedo

Research Interests

Digital archaeology, with emphasis on the visualization of archaeological, ethnographic, and historical data, and on human–plant relations, particularly the domestication, exchange, and diffusion of plants in northwestern South America

Selected Publications:

Presentations:

Grants, Fellowships, and Awards

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]]> Sophia Lara https://anthro.ufl.edu/2025/08/15/sophia-lara/ Fri, 15 Aug 2025 01:25:22 +0000 https://portal.clas.ufl.edu/anthro-mercury/?p=22267 The post Sophia Lara appeared first on Anthropology.

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Sophia Lara

Graduate Student

Email: sophialara@ufl.edu

Education

  • M.A. Anthropology, University of Florida, In Progress
  • B.A. Anthropology, University of Florida, 2025

Subfield

Archaeology

Biological Anthropology

Chair

Dr. Gabriel Prieto

Dr. John Krigbaum

Research Interests

Bioarchaeology, Andean Archaeology, Stable Isotope Analysis, Diet, Childhood Diet and Weaning, Mobility, Paleopathology, Physiological Stress

Selected Publications and Presentations

Grants, Fellowships, and Awards

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