Anthropology Professor Rosalyn Negrón, PhD, has identity issues, specifically ones that deal with Latino ethnic identity. Her current research, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, examines how ethnic categories like Latino, Mexican, and American are used in daily life. She is particularly interested in how people use language and discourse to switch among these identifications. Negrón intends to apply her research toward a better understanding of what is captured by the ethnic categories used in health research. For example, is it meaningful for research purposes to categorize a Venezuelan as Venezuelan if his/her social network and language use reflects dominant Puerto Rican influences? Negrón suggests that a social network-based analysis can provide key insights into the many ways that people choose to identify as members of multiple spheres of social interaction. Negrón received her Ph.D. from the University of Florida in 2007 and began at UMass Boston this spring. She teaches Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, U.S. Immigration, and a research seminar on Latino Leadership Opportunity Program.

Steve Silliman, PhD, studies Native American communities in 17th- through 21st-century New England and the impact of colonialism on their cultural heritage. Silliman is a faculty member of the Department of Anthropology, and serves as director of our M.A. program in historical archaeology.

Each summer, Silliman leads an archaeological field school that gives more than a dozen students a chance to work and study at historical sites on the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation Reservation in North Stonington, Connecticut, an area that is home to members of the Pequot tribe. The field school not only teaches students invaluable skills in archaeological methods but also makes them aware of their responsibilities in assisting the Pequot tribe in preserving their history.

Whether in the field or on campus, Silliman emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and helps students understand the links between archaeology, history and their own lives. Silliman’s teaching and research show archaeology is not only about unearthing the past, but also about interpreting the dynamics of culture and heritage to make us aware of who we are.