000			04874cam a22004814a 4500
001			musev2_85071
003			MdBmJHUP
005			20240815120848.0
006			m o d
007			cr||||||||nn|n
008			210701s2021 oku o 00 0 eng d
010			_z 2021023227
020			_a9780806175935
020			_z9780806175911
035			_a(OCoLC)1260325279
040			_aMdBmJHUP _cMdBmJHUP
100	1		_aDavis, Robert V., _d1947- _eauthor.
245	1	4	_aThe Search for the First Americans : _bScience, Power, Politics / _cRobert V. Davis, Jr.
264		1	_aNorman : _bUniversity of Oklahoma Press, _c[2021]
264		3	_aBaltimore, Md. : _bProject MUSE, _c2021
264		4	_c©[2021]
300			_a1 online resource (224 pages).
336			_atext _btxt _2rdacontent
337			_acomputer _bc _2rdamedia
338			_aonline resource _bcr _2rdacarrier
505	0		_aAmerican Indian creation myths -- Euro-American theories -- Clovis-first -- Pre-Clovis: Monte Verde and Meadowcroft -- Case studies: Atlantis and Chinese bestiary -- Anthropology and archaeology -- Bioanthropology -- The other sciences: genetics, linguistics, and physics -- Laboratories and museums -- Identity and heritage preservation -- Native American graves protection and Repatriation Act -- Case studies: Kennewick Man and Tarim Basin.
506	0		_aOpen Access _fUnrestricted online access _2star
520			_a"Who were the First Americans? Where did they come from? When did they get here? Are they the ancestors of modern Native Americans? These questions might seem straightforward, but scientists in competing fields have failed to convince one another with their theories and evidence, much less Native American peoples. The practice of science in its search for the First Americans is a flawed endeavor, Robert V. Davis tells us. His book is an effort to explain why. Most American history textbooks today teach that the First Americans migrated to North America on foot from East Asia over a land bridge during the last ice age, 12,000 to 13,000 years ago. In fact, that theory hardly represents the scientific consensus, and it has never won many Native adherents. In many ways, attempts to identify the first Americans embody the conflicts in American society between accepting the practical usefulness of science and honoring cultural values. Davis explores how the contested definition of "First Americans" reflects the unsettled status of Native traditional knowledge, scientific theories, research methodologies, and public policy as they vie with one another for legitimacy in modern America. In this light he considers the traditional beliefs of Native Americans about their origins; the struggle for primacy-or even recognition as science-between the disciplines of anthropology and archaeology; and the mediating, interacting, and sometimes opposing influences of external authorities such as government agencies, universities, museums, and the press. Fossil remains from Mesa Verde, Clovis, and other sites testify to the presence of First Americans. What remains unsettled, as The Search for the First Americans makes clear, is not only who these people were, where they came from, and when, but also the very nature and practice of the science searching for answers. "-- _cProvided by publisher.
520			_a"Case study of the practice of science in its search for the First Americans and examines: (1) the conflicts between the methods of science and the traditional beliefs of modern Native Americans; (2) the power struggles for primacy of place internal to the sciences themselves; and (3) the interactions with external authorities such as government agencies, the press, universities, and museums. It examines how First American issues have been defined and how differences in cultural myths, scientific theories, research methodologies and public policy remain unsettled in modern America. It also investigates the blurred boundaries between science and myth as well as between fact and theory that ultimately weaken the credibility of science as a cultural mechanism for interpreting the natural world"-- _cProvided by publisher.
588			_aDescription based on print version record.
650		7	_aHISTORY / Civilization. _2bisacsh
650		7	_aHISTORY / Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. _2bisacsh
650		0	_aIndians of South America _xOrigin.
650		0	_aIndians of North America _xScience.
650		0	_aIndians of North America _xEthnic identity.
650		0	_aIndians of North America _xGovernment relations.
650		0	_aIndians of North America _xHistory.
650		0	_aIndians of North America _xOrigin.
655		7	_aElectronic books. _2local
710	2		_aProject Muse. _edistributor
830		0	_aBook collections on Project MUSE.
856	4	0	_zFull text available: _uhttps://muse.jhu.edu/book/85071/
999			_c235171 _d235170