Archaeologists discover shipwrecks, ancient harbor on coast of Israel by (author unknown)

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a fleet of early-19th century ships and ancient harbor structures from the Hellenistic period at the city of Akko, one of the major ancient ports of the eastern Mediterranean. The findings shed light on a period of history that is little known and point to how and where additional remains may be found.



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Preserving the Past and Preparing for the Future by jrolston

The Association for Feminist Anthropology (AFA) will turn 25 during the 2013 annual meetings, pushing us to reflect on AFA’s past and future. The decade leading up to its foundation and activities since can be examined as part of scholarly and political shifts concerning women’s rights across and within cultures, time periods, and activities—including the growing multiplicity of perspectives about what constitutes a right or a woman. At the same time, more study is needed about how AFA and feminist anthropology have influenced such shifts in anthropology and feminisms since 1988.

Toward that end, under the leaderships of former presidents and board members, AFA created a collection of its records that is now part of the Smithsonian Institution (SI)’s National Anthropological Archives. Perhaps because other scholars are thinking along similar lines, the June 2012 issue of Gender & Development includes an article by Irene Tinker about documenting feminisms; in it, Tinker suggests that donors of records also consider being donors of financial support to cover archive costs. Part of AFA’s commitment to anthropology and the examination of its history is the (small) maintenance fee paid to SI that also serves as a reminder to encourage our colleagues, students, and selves to make use of the Smithsonian archives of feminist and other anthropologists, including those of the AFA.

Besides accessing the past, AFA is interested in setting terms for what might be forthcoming. We know that both feminisms and anthropology face challenges—from without and from within groups identifying as feminists and/or anthropologists—regarding their often critical studies of relationships and representations among humans. We know also that merely facing a challenge is insufficient and our forms of communication should be flexible, creative, and multiple without reproducing opacity or oppression. We also know we need to work together so that AFA can continue to provide its own challenges toward gender disparities and all of their many intersectional aspects.

We therefore maintain our practice of providing access to relevant new work from all subfields of anthropology and all forms of feminist activity. AFA as a section shares ideas and research through our web site and listserv and, beginning this year, through Twitter and Facebook. We use our Anthropology News column as a way for any member to share research and develop dialogues, and want your contributions. Meanwhile, what began as a section newsletter and evolved into the fully edited journal of Voices is part of AAA-wide discussions about how to best enter the next phase of publishing even as AFA members discuss the possibility of a peer-reviewed serial.

We also communicate via AFA-invited and sponsored sessions at the annual meetings. This year in San Francisco, we explore topics of concern and fascination among anthropologists generally and those explicitly feminist particularly. Launching off the meeting theme of “boundaries,” we include sessions on classifications within sex and gender, disabilities and activisms, and occupations and activities (including athletics, trafficking, parenting, teaching, and prostitution). Responding to recent events and ways to analyze them, we have sessions on forms of violence. Finally, we also have a session that includes as AFA’s guests several non-anthropologist practitioners and advocates discussing the US penal system as it increasingly includes certain categories of women among the incarcerated.

Perhaps because of these efforts, AFA has a growing membership in spite of the current global economic context. Out of concern for that context, we would like to keep membership fees low. Toward that end, I remind everyone to renew and to encourage others to join so that income from dues combines with that from Voices to keep AFA’s budget secure.

AFA also is expanding in its opportunities for member involvement, through planning sessions and workshops for the 2013 AAA annual meetings, including special sessions and events for the AFA 25thanniversary. If interested in helping with past, present, or future AFA endeavors, please start by contacting me, at afapres@gmail.com.

Jane Henrici, is president of the Association for Feminist Anthropology; study director at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research; and professional lecturer at the Global Gender Program, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University.

Send communications and contributions to AFA Contributing Editors Damla Isik at disik@regis.edu and Jessica Smith Rolston at jrolston@mines.edu.

via Anthropology-News http://www.anthropology-news.org/index.php/2012/11/28/preserving-the-past-and-preparing-for-the-future/

Using biomarkers from prehistoric human feces to track settlement and agriculture by (author unknown)

Geoscientists have used a biomarker from human feces in a new way to establish the first human presence, the arrival of grazing animals and human population dynamics in a landscape.



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When Having “Rights” is not Right by eguevara

Inequality in Inheritance for Muslim Women in Bangladesh

Introduction

In Bangladesh, the inheritance law for the Muslim is maintained in accordance with Islamic Sharia which gives women half of what men get in inherited property. Any proposition to change this law has been met with serious unrest and opposition. Our research shows that it is not only men who oppose it, but women themselves also contribute to perpetuating this inequality in the name of religion and social norms.

Inheritance law for Muslims in Bangladesh says that a daughter will get half of the son from father’s ancestral property and wife or wives will get one-eighth with a child and one-fourth without a child. If anybody has all daughters, his brothers’ children will get half of the share. The government of Bangladesh has tried to formulate Women Development Policy for ensuring gender equality but surprisingly it bypasses the issue of equal rights in inherited property. This commentary tries to highlight the main obstacles to ensure women’s inheritance rights on property in different spheres such as the government, society, community and the family. Conducting a preliminary survey on 60 middle-aged women in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh we found that there is a complex range of factors—social, administrative, and ideological—underlying the persistent gap between women’s legal rights and their actual ownership of land and also between ownership and control. Moreover, the actors (especially the women) involved in this process reject universal standards of gender equality and justify unequal distribution of property through dominant cultural discourses.

State and Women: Case Bangladesh

Inspired by the declaration of the decade of women’s development by the United Nations, Bangladesh has taken different measures to increase the gender balance in society from the late 70s. Originally the Constitution of Bangladesh guarantees equality of women and men and prohibits all kinds of discrimination based on sex, religion, caste and creed. In addition, the 2005 Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) addresses gender issues in a number of key areas, ie “Promoting Employment” and “Agriculture and Rural Development.” However, the main rule seems to be program based responses to the needs of women rather than formulating equality based policies and laws. The poverty reduction projects/programs focusing women are largely safety net programs which provide immediate cash/material benefit. But for promoting employment or sustainable rural development, these safety net measures are not sufficient. Women need access to and control over landed property to enter in the market as well as agriculture and development activities in real terms. The PRSP and latest five-year plan for economic development remains strategically illusive about women’s rights to inherited property.

A number of policies have been formulated in the last couple of decades regarding women development. In 1997, the government of Bangladesh formulated a national policy for the advancement of women which committed to eliminate discrimination against women and girls in all spheres and promoting women’s equality in areas such as education and training, health and nutrition, housing and shelter, political empowerment and public administration and the economy. The policy had a proposal for equal share of daughters (ie, same as her brothers), but that has not well taken by the “Islamist group and activists.” Due to huge political and religious demonstrations, the policy never saw the light. In the 2004 revision of the policy some significant changes of language were made which, according to the promoters of equal gender rights, actually lessens the opportunity for development of women. For example, the new policy removed promises of equal rights of women to inherited and landed property. In 2008, the caretaker government proposed another version of women development policy to promote a level playing field for women. But this policy replaced the phrase “inherited” with “landed and liquid” properties in which women would have equal rights. It specifically stipulated that to ensure women’s equal control over properties gained through the “market system”, the state would formulate new laws. But some newspapers wrongly interpreted it and stated that women would have equal rights to property. This caused a similar kind of outcry from different religious-political groups. In response, the law and religious affairs adviser of the caretaker government eventually said that the Women Development Policy 2008 is not a legislation at all and its does not deal with inheritance laws. It is just a document for discussions on how to protect women from repression and deception and on how to improve their conditions socially. To control in the increasing unrest regarding the policy, the government established a committee of Muslim religious leaders well versed in Islamic texts who proposed the replacement of the phrase “equal rights” to “just rights” in property for women. It is interesting from a human rights perspective as it is the state and male religious leaders who get to decide the “just” proportion for women in inherited property. The 2011 policy for women’s advancement has brought back some of the promises of the 1997 policy. For example, in section 25 it says that women would be give “full control” over earnings, credit, land and inherited or purchased property. However, it is interesting to note that there is no mention of “equal rights” or “equal share” to be assured in the inherited property.

It can be inferred that in Bangladesh religion has been used as an excuse for the skeptical stand of state regarding the issue of equal inheritance irrespective of gender. The protest against gender discrimination in terms of inheritance of property is rarely visible in any part of society except ones arranged by some Non-government Organizations who worked for human rights and gender equality. The policies and the resulting demonstration of political parties along with the strategic stance of the ruling political parties clearly indicate that the Muslim inheritance law will not be changed in near future. Such a demonstration and political unrest cannot by judged only by blaming religious dogmatism. Rather we should see this in relation to a traditionally patriarchal state, society and mindset.

Inheritance Laws and Practices

Inheritance practices are crucially important in regulating rights to property in a society in which the “competition for scarce resources” is fierce. For a significant majority of rural households, arable land is the single most important source of economic security against poverty in Bangladesh. The social status and political power in the rural settings are defined by the land (Agarwal 2002; Toufique and Turton eds, 2002). Moreover, it shapes the intra- and inter-household relationships. Cultural and traditional practices in Bangladesh continue to perpetuate the patrilineal mode of inheritance that excludes women from the inheritance rights. There is a cultural resistance towards women getting a share in the parental property (Rahman and van Shendel 1997; Mathew, 2010). Wives and daughters are sidelined from the formal ownership of land resources, while the husbands get rural land through inheritance and hence are wealthier in terms of disposable assets. Our survey shows that majority of women from all income groups, do not formally own property of their own and rarely inherit from the natal or affine families. Often women decline from asserting their inheritance rights, due to the fear of losing family ties, or acquiring the social stigma of being grasping and greedy and for the fear of losing the love of the natal family. Women value their relationship with their brothers to a great extent which would be threatened if they demand their share in property. As a result women usually do not risk the life-time guarantee of social support from their kin, which is especially useful at the time of economic or social crisis such as divorce or widowhood, for share in landed property.

In our survey, we found that social legitimacy is the crucial factor to ensure women’s share in property. Even when women get a share of property, they are not the real beneficiaries to utilize it—it is controlled by a male member of the family. Many women accept this arrangement as the norm of society and consider themselves to be too weak to handle things as property. Moreover, the male dominated public sphere in Bangladesh such as the district courts, local administrator’s office, and village panchayet or governing body, make it difficult for women to claim their inheritance rights. The first obstacle in this case is to overcome the sociocultural barriers on physical movement of women in public spaces. Then the lack of information sources and indefinite timeline for solving court cases makes it economically unprofitable to legally demand shares in property. Only when the price of property is really very high and the women are backed by their socioeconomic standing that they find it worth it to challenge their brothers in the court. This is the last and the most extreme measure any woman would take. But getting the judgement takes huge time. Barakat and Roy (2004) show that the existing cases on the court need an average time of 9.5 years for settlement. The lengthy process of getting court judgement played impediment to go to the court.

Many of the women studied opined that the sons of the family take care of older parents and the ancestral land should therefore be given to them. Most of the female respondents said that the Islamic law, though unequal, is a religious stipulation which should be strictly followed.

Conclusion

The question remains whether the ambiguous stand of the government of Bangladesh in respect of the issue of equal distribution of inherited property is solely in response to wider sociopolitical, cultural and religious demands or is it supported by an inherent economic agenda of the dominant group, ie the males to hold monopoly over the means of production. If women cannot exercise their ownership over property even when the distribution is unequal, it is difficult to foresee how they would be able to gain their share when they would demand equal division. This process needs to be supported by the state machinery which is apparently not women friendly and the dominant ideology of the country is clearly against the proposition. Moreover, without taking into account the public opinion and social attitude towards women’s access to and control over property, no policy to establish equal rights can be implemented successfully. In addition the state has to overcome its inherent patriarchal nature and concentrate on steps to ensure that women at least get the benefit of the existing inheritance law. A national level campaigning through media should take place to sensitize people about the rights of women in property. Overall increase in the indicators of welling of women would enable them to exercise more control over their possessions.

ATM Shaifullah Mehedi is a researcher in Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, since 2008 after completion his graduation in anthropology from Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. His academic interests include food security, migration and human rights South Asia.

Nehraz Mahmud is currently pursuing her PhD in anthropology at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. She is a researcher in Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies. Her areas of her special interests include women’s rights, economic anthropology, South Asian studies and human agency in the context of social discrimination.

via Anthropology-News http://www.anthropology-news.org/index.php/2012/11/23/when-having-rights-is-not-right/

Long menopause allows killer whales to care for adult sons

Scientists have found the answer to why female killer whales have the longest menopause of any non-human species - to care for their adult sons. Led by the Universities of Exeter and York and published in the journal Science (14 September 2012) the research shows that, for a male over 30, the death of his mother means an almost 14-fold-increase in the likelihood of his death within the following year.

The reason for the menopause remains one of nature's great mysteries and very few species have a prolonged period of their lifespan when they no longer reproduce, as in humans. However, female killer whales stop reproducing in their 30s-40s, but can survive into their 90s. While different theories have been put forward for the evolution of menopause in humans, including the well-established 'grandmother' hypothesis, there has been no definitive answer to why females of a small number of other species, including killer whales, also stop reproducing part-way through their lives.

The research team, from the Universities of Exeter and York (UK), the Center for Whale Research (USA) and Pacific Biological Station (Canada) analysed records spanning 36 years, of the members of two populations of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the North Pacific ocean, off the coast of the USA and Canada.

They found that the presence of a female who was no longer reproducing significantly increased her older offspring's survival. In the case of males over the age of 30, a mother's death meant a 14-fold increase in the likelihood of their death within a year. Females also stay within their mother's group but for daughters of the same age, the difference is just under three-fold. For females under the age of 30, the death of their mothers had no effect on their survival rates.

Killer whales live in unusual social groups, with sons and daughters staying with their mothers in a single group throughout their lives. With this close association, older mothers have the opportunity to increase the transmission of their genes by helping their adult offspring survive and reproduce. When sons mate, their offspring are cared for by females in another group, whereas when daughters reproduce the offspring stay in the group, which increases local competition for resources within the group.


Theory predicts that in order to have the best chance of spreading their genes, without carrying an additional burden, mothers should focus their efforts on their sons. This research backs up this theory and demonstrates the extent to which older sons are dependent on their mothers for survival.

Lead author on the paper University of Exeter PhD student Emma Foster said: "Killer whales are extraordinary animals and their social groups are really unusual in that mothers and their sons are lifelong companions. Our research suggests that they have developed the longest menopause of any non-human species so that they can offer this level of commitment to their older offspring."

Dr Dan Franks, from the Department of Biology at the University of York, said: "Our analysis shows that male killer whales are pretty much mommy's boys and struggle to survive without their mother's help. The need for mothers to care for their sons into adulthood explains why killer whales have evolved the longest post-reproductive lifespan of any non-human animal."

Dr Darren Croft of the University of Exeter added: "Both humans and killer whales are unusual in having a long menopause. Although they share this trait, the way older females benefit from ceasing reproduction differs, reflecting the different structure of human and killer whale societies. While it is believed that the menopause evolved in humans partly to allow women to focus on providing support for their grandchildren, it seems that female killer whales act as lifelong carers for their own offspring, particularly their adult sons. It is just incredible that these sons stick by their mothers' sides their entire lives."




Contact: Sarah Hoyle
s.hoyle@exeter.ac.uk
44-013-927-22062
University of Exeter 

New test to crack down on sporting drugs-cheat test

Scientists from three UK universities have developed a new test to catch drugs-cheats in sport.

Over the last 10 years, the GH-2004 team, which is based the University of Southampton, has been developing a test for Growth Hormone misuse in sport with funding from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and US Anti-Doping Agency and with support from UK Anti-Doping.

The test, developed by scientists at the University of Southampton, King's College London and University of Kent at Canterbury, is based on the measurement of two proteins in the blood, insulin-like growth factor-I and the amino terminal pro-peptide of type III collagen. Both of these proteins, which act as markers of growth hormone use, increase in response to growth hormone.

The test was used for the first time by King's College London analysts at the anti-doping laboratory for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

On 8 September 2012, the International Paralympic Committee announced that two powerlifters had received two year suspensions for Anti-Doping Rule Violations involving Growth Hormone following an adverse laboratory finding using the new markers test.

The case was a world first as some of the latest testing methods were used which were only introduced prior to London 2012. The new method is able to detect misuse of human growth hormone over a number of weeks, compared to previous methods used which only detected use over a shorter time period.

Richard Holt, Professor in Diabetes and Endocrinology at the University of Southampton and also a consultant in Diabetes at Southampton General Hospital, said, "We are pleased to have another effective and reliable means to catch cheats and help deter harmful drug misuse. There has been a tremendous amount of team work to develop this test and I am delighted that this dedication has finally succeeded. I would like to thank the World Anti-Doping Agency, US Anti-Doping and UK Anti-Doping for their support and trust in our work."

Professor David Cowan, Head of the Drug Control Centre at King's College London and Director of the anti-doping laboratory for the Games, said: "These findings prove that the years of research have been worthwhile. In partnership with the University of Southampton and Kent University, this has been one of the most complex scientific projects the Drug Control Centre at King's has been involved in. To be able to carry out this test at this year's Games is a huge achievement. It represents a big step forward in staying at the forefront of anti-doping science, to help deter drug misuse in sport."

Andy Parkinson, UK Anti-Doping Chief Executive, adds: "Continual improvement in testing science is fundamental to the global anti-doping movement, ensuring that sophisticated dopers are caught and those at a tipping point are deterred. I am delighted that this UK developed test, which my team has been closely involved with, was used at the 2012 Paralympic Games to such good effect."

WADA President John Fahey praised the test by saying: "The new test – which has been approved by WADA – was first introduced prior to the London 2012 Olympic Games, and we are confident that it will prove a significant tool in the fight against doping in sport.

"It will complement the test that has been in use since the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the major difference being that the anti-doping community now has a much longer detection window to work with."

Contact: Becky Attwood
r.attwood@soton.ac.uk
44-023-805-95457
University of Southampton 

Simple tool may help evaluate risk for violence among patients with mental illness

Mental health professionals, who often are tasked with evaluating and managing the risk of violence by their patients, may benefit from a simple tool to more accurately make a risk assessment, according to a recent study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco.

The research, led by psychiatrist Alan Teo, MD, when he was a UCSF medical resident, examined how accurate psychiatrists were at evaluating risk of violence by acutely ill patients admitted to psychiatric units.

The first part of the study showed that inexperienced psychiatric residents performed no better than they would have by chance, whereas veteran psychiatrists were moderately successful in evaluating their patients' risk of violence.

However, the second part of the study showed that when researchers applied the information from the "Historical, Clinical, Risk Management󈞀–Clinical" (HRC-20-C) scale – a brief, structured risk assessment tool – to the patients evaluated by residents, accuracy in identifying their potential for violence increased to a level nearly as high as the faculty psychiatrists', who had an average of 15 years more experience.

"Similar to a checklist a pilot might use before takeoff, the HRC-20-C has just five items that any trained mental health professional can use to assess their patients," Teo said. "To improve the safety for staff and patients in high-risk settings, it is critical to teach budding psychiatrists and other mental health professionals how to use a practical tool such as this one."

The study was published Aug. 31 in the journal Psychiatric Services.

The HCR-20-C was developed several years ago by researchers in Canada, where it is used in a number of settings such as prisons and hospitals. However, in the United States, structured tools such as the HCR-20-C are only beginning to be used in hospitals.

"This is the first study to compare the accuracy of risk assessments by senior psychiatrists to those completed by psychiatric residents," said senior author Dale McNiel, PhD, UCSF professor of clinical psychology. "It shows that clinicians with limited training and experience tend to be inaccurate in their risk assessments, and that structured methods such as HCR-20-C hold promise for improving training in risk assessment for violence."

"The UCSF study was unusual," Teo added, "in applying a shorter version of the tool that could be more easily incorporated into clinical practice."

Teo and his team assessed the doctors' accuracy by comparing the risk assessments that they made at the time patients were admitted to the hospital, to whether or not patients later became physically aggressive toward hospital staff members, such as by hitting, kicking or biting. The study included 151 patients who became violent and 150 patients who did not become violent.

The patients in the study had severe mental illnesses, often schizophrenia, and had been involuntarily admitted to the hospital.

Contact: Abigail Mortimore
abigail.mortimore@ucsf.edu
415-502-6397
University of California - San Francisco