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Browsing * General Repository by Author "Ackermann, Rebecca, Rogers"

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    Colonialism and narratives of human origins in Asia and Africa
    (2018-08-18) Athreya, Sheela; Ackermann, Rebecca, Rogers
    In their seminal works on postcolonialism, Edward Saïd (in Orientalism) and V.Y. Mudimbe (in The Idea of Africa) proposed that Asia and Africa, respectively, were constructs created around the notion of their otherness. Both regions were viewed as infantile, primitive, and homogenous entities that fell outside the domain of civilized (i.e. Western) humanity. These constructs shaped scientific perceptions of both continents over the course of several centuries and have continued to be operative over the last 100 years following the discovery of fossil human ancestors, particularly within the narratives of recent human origins. Here we reflect on these narratives, both in the early days of the discoveries and more recently, in the context of the othered identities of the continents more broadly. We argue that a colonialist socio-political framework has shaped the science of human origins since its inception, and that this has negatively affected the quality of this endeavour. Existing phylogenies cannot be divorced from those ideologies—even today. Indeed, while the details of human origins (e.g. when, where, who) have changed radically over time, the narrative that emerged always left one group in control, and marginalised non-Western lands and their peoples, leaving the ordering of superior and inferior more or less unchanged through the history of the discipline. More informed models of human evolution cannot be constructed until the community of voices constructing them is reworked to be more inclusive of many worldviews.
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    Hybridization in human evolution: insights from other organisms
    (2018-08-28) Ackermann, Rebecca, Rogers; Arnold, Michael; Baiz, Marcella; Cahill, James; Cortés-Ortiz, Liliana; Evans, Ben; Grant, Rosemary; Grant, Peter; Hallgrimsson, Benedikt; Humphreys, Robyn; Jolly, Clifford; Malukiewicz, Joanna; Percival, Christopher; Ritzman, Terry; Roos, Christian; Roseman, Charles; Schroeder, Lauren; Smith, Fred; Warren, Kerryn; Wayne, Robert; Zinner, Dietmar
    During the late Pleistocene, isolated lineages of hominins exchanged genes thus influencing genomic variation in humans in both the past and present. However, the dynamics of this genetic exchange and associated phenotypic consequences through time remain poorly understood. Gene exchange across divergent lineages can result in myriad outcomes arising from these dynamics and the environmental conditions under which it occurs. Here we draw from our collective research across various organisms, illustrating some of the ways in which gene exchange can structure genomic/phenotypic diversity within/among species. We present a range of examples relevant to questions about the evolution of hominins. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but rather illustrative of the diverse evolutionary causes/consequences of hybridization, highlighting potential drivers of human evolution in the context of hybridization including: influences on adaptive evolution, climate change, developmental systems, sex-differences in behavior, Haldane’s rule and the large X-effect, and transgressive phenotypic variation.
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    Reflections on the history and legacy of scientific racism in South African palaeoanthropology and beyond
    (2018-09-10) Ackermann, Rebecca, Rogers
    The history of scientific discovery is overwhelmingly told as a narrative of the lives and discoveries of a series of remarkable white men. Christa Kuljian’s real triumph in this book is that she reframes the narrative of palaeoanthropological discovery in South Africa as a tale of flawed men who succeed – through some combination of luck, skill, personality and perseverance – literally and figuratively on the backs of black bodies. That she tells this story with limited cynicism and anger is a testament to the author. This book takes a rich, personal, archivally-intensive and interview-based look at the history of palaeoanthropology that is uncommon in our field, focussing on a region of the world where the global context of racism and the eugenics movement in the 20th century was further compounded by state-sanctioned apartheid. It is a timely tale of racism and misogyny and how they shape scientists, the scientific enterprise, and narratives of human origins and evolution. Although a large portion of this book is historical, it brings the reader right up to the present, and contains themes that remain relevant today, in the age of #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, and other pertinent movements, and affect our field more generally. In this review, I will first provide a very brief summary of the book. I will then highlight what I believe are the book’s most salient themes that are relevant to biological anthropology today: racism in science, intersectionality, and the invalid (but still prevalent) idea that scientists and their work can be separated. Finally, I will consider current practice in palaeoanthropology, as well as various reviews of the book, in order to reflect on these issues.
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    The emergence of complexity and novelty in the human fossil record
    (2018-07-23) Ackermann, Rebecca, Rogers; Schroeder, Lauren
    Outside of possible evidence for more complex social practices (e.g. longevity post-trauma, preserved infant remains), the fossil record of human evolution is limited in its ability to address the transition towards transcendental forms of wisdom. Indeed, it is difficult to equate our modern intellectual condition with deep past biological indicators at all. Nonetheless, arguably the best and most visible evidence for biological changes that might be precursors to these abilities are in the form of increasing complexity and/or novelty. We see these patterns in the hominin fossil record most strongly at the emergence and diversification of our genus, and in the Middle to Late Pleistocene record with the emergence of our species. Here we will first give a brief overview of the human fossil record, and will then focus on these two time periods, and the question of what produces such complexity/novelty.
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    Upholding "good science" in human origins research: A response to Chan et al (2019)
    (2019-11-06) Ackermann, Rebecca, Rogers; Athreya, Sheela; Black, Wendy; Cabana, Graciela; Hare, Vincent; Pickering, Robyn; Schroeder, Lauren
    The recent publication by Chan et al (2019) entitled “Human origins in a southern African palaeo-wetland and first migrations” fails to meet scientific standards for publication in two ways. First, it neglects its scientific duty to discuss the entire body of scientific evidence around human origins, which leads to unsupportable claims. Second, it reinforces racialized power dynamics within the science of human origins. We argue that the authors would have benefitted from a more diverse team that included social scientists and humanists, and that the editorial process failed to uphold thorough and morally responsible science.