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Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Application for Graduate Student Research Award
This is a short "grant" proposal that I'm applying for with the Institute for the Study of Latin America and the Caribbean at USF. It's supposed to be what my thesis is this summer, but as I haven't yet nailed down a specific topic it's sort of vague, but it does provide a general picture of what I hope to do. The prize? A plane ticket to Honduras.
Two of the central goals of the Department of Anthropology are to provide “applied archaeological insight of the prehistory of Florida, the Caribbean region and the world” and “historical and contemporary studies of Latin America and the Caribbean.” These goals, along with those of the Institute for the Study of Latin America and the Caribbean, will provide the foundation for the research project outlined below.
The proposed project will be carried out in rural northwest Honduras, near the country’s second largest metropolis and one of the fastest growing urban areas in Central America, San Pedro Sula. This rapid expansion is expected to result in an urban population of more than one million people in the coming years, leading to increased human pressure on land and resources already stretched beyond their limits. Widespread poverty and concerns about the sustainability of current land management strategies create an urgent need for applied research. Archaeology is one of the many fields that have the potential to inform the situation in Honduras and offer insight regarding sustainable development. Methods that will be used to gather such data include surveying and mapping of local communities and archaeological sites, excavations in areas where ancient subsistence is apparent, laboratory analysis, and formal interviews with individuals living in communities potentially affected by urban expansion. The practical and theoretical tools of archaeology will be used to structure a research design that (a) is informed by past and present research in the area including useful projects in other areas of applied research, (b) incorporates the goals of the Department of Anthropology and ISLAC, (c) makes the best use of resources offered by USF and the local community in Honduras, and (d) has an end product offering useful data with the potential for practical application.
First, specific methodologies and theoretical frameworks employed over the course of the project will be informed by past and contemporary research which has demonstrated the usefulness of archaeological approaches in addressing issues of sustainability. The extent of such research is great and will be enhanced by the contributions made by this project’s applied dimension. Second, the goals set forth by the Department of Anthropology and ISLAC will guide the project to completion by placing the often static nature of archaeological “snapshots” in the social, political, and environmental universe of contemporary Honduran life. Third, the goals of the project will be realized using the resources offered by the University as well as by the Honduran government and local communities. At USF, these include but are not limited to financial resources, research and laboratory facilities, and the expertise of archaeologists and other applied researchers. The Honduran government works closely with archaeologists from all over the world and the local community will provide an important resource for information not available anywhere else. Finally, the project will result in a written thesis that will be used as a requirement toward a Masters thesis in Applied Anthropology with the potential for subsequent publication and presentation at professional conferences.
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Posted by Will at March 8, 2006 11:54 PM in Papers and Essays