Open-Access Publications
Navarro-Farr, Olivia
2020 Inclusive Comparisons for Undergraduates in Archaeology: Representation and Diversity in and Beyond the Classroom. SAA Archaeological Record 20(1):22-25. Retrieved from https://openworks.wooster.edu/facpub/398
Abstract: As is the case with many of my early-to-midcareer peers, I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to teach a variety of undergraduate archaeology courses for some years now at various institutions, including state schools, a community college, and a small liberal arts college. I am now in my eighth year at an institution that considers faculty-mentored undergraduate research as its cornerstone. This means I find myself in the yearly position of ushering a wide array of students through their own research theses incorporating wide-ranging topics, regions, and specializations in archaeology, anthropology, and even sociology. The aspect of mentored research that always invites the greatest challenge is working with students through theory. Though this is the case across these fields, I limit my conversation here to archaeology.
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Navarro-Farr, Olivia
2020 Science 101: Teaching Scientific Anthropology in an Age of “Alternative” Facts. Open Rivers: Rethinking Water, Place, and Community, . 10.24926/2471190X.7156. Retrieved from https://openworks.wooster.edu/facpub/396
Abstract: I am a professional archaeologist and researcher, but my primary role is that of teacher. I teach a range of courses in both anthropology and archaeology at a liberal arts school in the eastern Midwest. I typically offer at least one or more introductory classes each year. In these classes, students tend to represent diverse disciplines and grade levels whereas in upper division courses, students tend to be geared towards more specialized fields such as anthropology, sociology, and/or archaeology. As an archaeologist who teaches undergraduates, my classes have always dealt with elements of scientific process in research at various levels. One mainstay is discussing how scientists reconstruct ancient climate in order to more fully understand the conditions which gave rise to major changes in paleoenvironment and therefore created conditions within which evolutionary forces could (re)act.
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Navarro-Farr, Olivia C., Keith Eppich, David A. Freidel, and Robles, Griselda Perez
2020 “Ancient Maya Queenship: Generations of Crafting State Politics and Alliance Building from Kaanul to Waka’.” In Approaches to Monumental Landscapes of the Ancient Maya, pp. 196-217. Retrieved from https://openworks.wooster.edu/facpub/395
Abstract: Ancient Maya history recounts the contest between the hegemons of Tikal and Calakmul, the Kaanul kingdom. In their respective clashes, they struggled to control trade and wealth and to demonstrate control over cosmic forces, the legitimacy of their ancestors, and the veracity of their own definitions of royal rule. Evident from these patchwork narratives is the role of royal women, named both as daughters of Kaanul kings and as queens throughout Petén. The actions and lives of these women formed a key component of Kaanul’s brand of statecraft. The actions of Kaanul women constituted a unique strategy that provided an effective means of political integration.
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Navarro-Farr, Olivia C., Mary Kate Kelly, Michelle Rich, Griselda Pérez Robles
2020 Expanding the canon: Lady K’abel the Ix Kaloomte’ and the political narratives of classic Maya Queens. Feminist Anthropology 1:38-55. https://doi.org/10.1002/fea2.12007.
Abstract: We consider how a feminist perspective permits appreciation for and reflection on the complex and often understated ways in which Classic‐era (∼CE 250‐80) royal Maya women contributed to processes of statecraft. Our work centers on archaeological and epigraphic evidence for the life of one important royal woman, Ix Kaloomte’ K’abel of Waka’ whose reign was one of the most influential of the Late Classic Period (∼CE 550‐800). In reviewing the lines of evidence which detail her political life as a ruler, we consider parallels with other important royal women of the period. We argue a feminist approach permits working beyond unacknowledged presentist biases to consider the ways in which these women actively crafted state politics alongside their male counterparts.