Anthropology News

. . . from the Chair

Thisfallmarksthebeginningofthe36thyearoftheAnthropologyMaster’sProgramand50yearsofAnthropologycourseofferingsat the University of Memphis. This past April’s celebrationof our graduate program’s first 35 years was an outstandingsuccess. Over 150 alumni, students, and friends gathered for awelcomereception,aDepartment-hostedconferencewithpostersession and workshops, a gala dinner with silent auction andspecialentertainmentatthePeabody,andakeynoteaddressbyMalinowskiAward winner Dr. Jean Schensul. The weekendwrapped up with an Anthropology Student Club-sponsoredfarewellpicnicatChucalissa.Itisatestamenttothesuccessandvitalityofourprogramthatsomanyalumstraveledhundredsandinsomecasesthousandsofmilestoparticipateintheweekendcelebration. Butwedonot just celebrate thepast. Watch forfuturemonthly issuesof theAnthropology News tohearaboutcurrentdepartmentprojectsandawardsofbothourfacultyandstudents.

Thisfallalsomarkstheretirementafter30yearsofexemplaryservice of Dr. CharlesWilliams. The article in this issue ofthe Anthropology News highlights the accomplishments ofDr. Williams over the years. We are most fortunate that hewill continue to teach courses at the University, but with hisretirement will be able to spend more time with his growinggrandchildren and watch more St. Louis Cardinals baseballgames. We congratulateCharles on his accomplishments andyearsofserviceattheUniversityashelooksforwardtoalongandwelldeservedreductioninhisworkload.

WiththeretirementofDr.Williams,wehavebeengiventhegoaheadbytheUniversitytobeginasearchforanewtenure-trackposition.Wewillkeepyouupdatedonthisprocess.

-Ruthbeth Finerman

ThisyearmarksamajorchangeintheAnthropologyDepartmentattheUniversityofMemphis.Dr.CharlesWilliams,along-timefacultymemberandadearfriendtomany,isretiring.Dr.Williams joined theUniversity ofMemphis’Department ofAnthropology in 1979. He earned his M.A. in 1976 and Ph.Din 1981 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,collaborating on the Holmes County Health Research Project,andsubstanceabuseresearch.Dr.Williamsisamasterofmixed-methods approaches and participatory ethnographic techniques.He has conducted a wide range of ethnographic investigationson Black culture and communities, African American heritageand thediaspora, religionandurbanBlackchurches,mutualaidsocieties,poverty,homelessness,educationalprograms,foodwaysand hypertension, neighborhood revitalization, and archaeologyand cultural resource surveys in African American cemeteriesandhistoricsites.Amajorfocushasbeenhisefforttodocumentrelationships between the physical and social environment andhealthoutcomes.

He is recognized for his initiation of collaborative research andevaluationsofalcoholanddrugbehaviorintheMid-Souththroughtwo state-funded projects, including the Tennessee Outcomesfor Alcohol and Drug Services (TOADS) and the TennesseeAlcoholandDrugPreventionOutcomesLongitudinalEvaluation(TADPOLE).TheprojectsprovidedannualoutcomeevaluationsofalltreatmentandpreventionservicesfundedbytheTennesseeBureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services (TBADAS).

September 2011 - Department of Anthropology, 316 Manning Hall., University of Memphis, Memphis Tennessee 38152 (901) 678 -2080 - http://www.memphis.edu/anthropology

Dr. Williams Retires after 30 Years of Service at the University of Memphis

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TADPOLE also provided conferences and workshops to trainagency staff and to educate parents on alcohol and drug risksamong youths. The initiative offered amore holistic approachto understanding treatment and prevention from the client’sperspective.Itsuccessfullypromotedpoliciesandfundingforsite-appropriate,dignified,andeffectiveservices,andimprovedaccessforunderservedpopulations.

Inadditiontohisworkonalcoholanddrugevaluations,Dr.WilliamscollaboratedwiththeTennesseeDepartmentofHealth’sHIV/STDDivision to evaluate HIV prevention programs statewide, andwitharangeofschoolsanduniversities,communityleadersandhealth agency partners to improve public education, awareness,andresponsiveness to theneedsofunderservedpopulations.Hepublished more than 150 reports, monographs, book reviews,and scholarly articles, shaping the scholarly knowledge baseand public policy approaches to neighborhood development,education,culturalheritage,andcommunityhealth.

Dr.Williamshasservedonanumberofcampuscommitteesandcommunity boards. He has been honored for his teaching andresearch, receiving the University of Memphis’s “Millionaire”award for producingmore than onemillion dollars in researchgrants.He is also adiligent andbelovedmentor andadvisor togenerationsofundergraduateandgraduatestudents.Heisknownfor his tendency to look for strengths, assets, and potential inindividuals,andtohelpdevelopthattalent.Manyformerstudentsremainlifelongcolleaguesandresearchcollaborators.ThereisnodoubtthatDr.CharlesWilliamshasbeenextremelysuccessful,andallhisaccomplishmentscannotpossiblyfitinthistribute.AsDr.Hylandsaid,“Welookatone’saccomplishmentsas things and products rather than relationship building. Dr.Williamsasaneducatormakesrelationshipbuildinghishighestpriority,andthatiswhatmakeshimspecial.”

Chucalissa Renewed - Museum Studies in Memphis

IfyougrewupinMemphisorwereastudent inAnthropologyDepartment 25 years ago, the C.H. Nash Museum and theChucalissaArchaeologicalsiteweresynonymouswithmembersof the Mississippi Band of Choctaw, archaeological fieldexcavations,thedisplayofhumanremains,andareconstructedNativeAmericanvillage.Thosewhoreturnforthefirsttimein25yearsnoticethatmuchhaschanged.Theburialexhibitwasclosedinthelate1980sandthelastremnantsofvillageremovedin2003.Particularlyinthe1990s,theMuseumstruggledtofindapathforward.

Today, thatpath ismoreclearlydefined. Dr.RobertConnolly,thecurrentDirectoroftheMuseum,isveryoptimisticaboutthefutureonseveralfronts.Henotes,“Wehavereworkedallofourprogrammingtoalignwiththestatecurriculumstandardsoftheeducationalsystems.Ourhands-onarchaeologylabisauniqueopportunity in the Midsouth for visitors to handle prehistoricartifacts. In response tovisitor requests,wehavedramaticallyincreased the programming along our nature trail with anarboretumandmedicinalplantsanctuary.”

Chucalissa has thoroughly embraced the notion of being aParticipatory Museum. Connolly explained “We see theParticipatoryMuseumasmorethanjustahands-onexperience.Instead,we see that participation extends to all aspects of ourMuseumoperations so that the visitor truly becomes a part oftheexperience.Forexample,in2010ninehighschoolstudentscreated a permanent exhibit at the Museum on the AfricanAmericanCulturalHeritage of SouthwestMemphis. Now theMuseumalsoincorporatesthestoryofthehistoricoccupationofChucalissalandscape.”

TheC.H.NashMuseumnowmorethaneverservesasanintegralcomponentoftheMuseumStudiesGraduateCertificateProgram.Connolly,who also serves on the faculty of theAnthropologyDepartmentandteachescoursesinMuseumStudiesreported“Weseeourselves todayasa trueresearchandlearningopportunityforUofMstudentsandthegeneralpublic.Wecurrentlyaverage10internshipsperyear.TheCollegeofArtsandSciencesfundsfourGraduateAssistantseachsemesterwhoreceiveon the jobtraining in everything from community engagement to exhibitdesign.Ouruniquevolunteerprogramregularlyreceivesnationalattention.Infactlastyear,ourstudentandvolunteerhoursatthemuseumactuallyexceededourpaidstaffhours!”

The C.H. Nash Museum also engages in community servicelearning.Chucalissaiscurrentlyhostingtheirsecondeight-weekAmeriCorpsTeamthroughacollaborativearrangementwithT.O.FullerStateParkandtheWestwoodNeighborhoodAssociation.FormoreinformationoncurrentprojectsatChucalissachecktherecent issue of ProfilesfromtheCollegeofArtsandSciences.TheMuseumalsomaintainsaFacebook Page,ablog,website,andamonthlye-newsletter.

Veteranswhoattendedthe2012BlackHistoryMonthCelebrationattheC.H.NashMuseumthatfocusedonAfrican-AmericansintheU.S.Military.

(Charles Williams continued from page 1)