Florida Anthropologist

Florida Anthropologist
Title	Florida Anthropologist
Discipline	Anthropology, Archaeology, Ethnohistory
Publisher	Florida Anthropological Society
Country	United States
Frequency	Quarterly
History	1948–present
Issn	0015-3893

Florida Anthropologist Florida Anthropologist is a regional peer-reviewed journal covering archaeology, ethnohistory, and cultural studies related to Florida and the surrounding Southeastern United States. The journal publishes original research, site reports, synthetic reviews, and book reviews that connect local investigations to broader conversations in North America, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Coastal Plain studies. It functions as a venue for professional archaeologists, avocational archaeologists, curators, and historians affiliated with institutions such as the Florida Museum of Natural History, The Florida State University, University of Florida, and the Smithsonian Institution.

History

Founded in 1948 by the Florida Anthropological Society, the journal emerged in the postwar period when regional societies like the Society for American Archaeology and the American Anthropological Association saw growth in membership. Early editors and contributors included figures associated with the Works Progress Administration, the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology, and state agencies such as the Florida Park Service. Over succeeding decades the journal documented major projects like excavations at Windover Archaeological Site, surveys of the St. Johns River valley, and investigations tied to infrastructure projects overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its editorial direction has reflected shifts in methodological approaches from culture-historical frameworks to processual and post-processual perspectives championed at institutions including Harvard University, University of Arizona, and University of Cambridge.

Scope and Content

The journal emphasizes empirical reports on prehistoric and historic period archaeology across regions including Peninsular Florida, Florida Panhandle, Apalachicola Bay, Tampa Bay, St. Augustine, and the Florida Keys. It covers topics such as mortuary analysis at sites like Windover, ceramic seriation involving wares analogous to Weeden Island, lithic analysis referencing flaked stone industries studied at Leisey Shell Pits, and ethnohistoric research drawing on sources like Spanish Florida, British West Florida, and records of figures such as Hernando de Soto and Ponce de León. Interdisciplinary submissions connect to research programs at museums and universities including the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, and the National Park Service.

Publication and Editorial Information

Published quarterly by the Florida Anthropological Society, the journal maintains an editorial board composed of scholars from institutions such as University of South Florida, Miami University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University, and the University of West Florida. The peer review process engages external referees with specialties spanning zooarchaeology, paleoethnobotany, radiocarbon dating, and geophysical survey, with laboratory collaborations involving the Radiocarbon Laboratory, University of Arizona and the Geophysical Survey Facility. Special issues have focused on themes tied to agencies like the Florida Division of Historical Resources and partnerships with projects funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Indexing and Abstracting

The journal is indexed in regional and national bibliographies and appears in indexing services used by researchers at Library of Congress, Florida State University Libraries, and the University of Florida Libraries. Articles are cited in bibliographies produced by the Southeastern Archaeological Conference, the Florida Public Archaeology Network, and reference lists of monographs from university presses including University Press of Florida and University of Alabama Press. Abstracts and citations are discoverable through academic databases employed by institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution Libraries and large public research libraries.

Impact and Reception

Scholars cite the journal for foundational site reports that inform models of settlement, mortuary practice, and coastal adaptation in the Southeast. Work published in its pages has shaped interpretations used by practitioners at the Florida Division of Historical Resources, influenced cultural resource management projects under the National Historic Preservation Act, and informed public archaeology outreach coordinated with organizations like the Archaeological Institute of America. Reviews in the journal have engaged debates connected to prominent theoretical shifts advanced at centers including University of California, Berkeley and University of Michigan.

Notable Articles and Contributions

Contributions include seminal reports on the Windover Archaeological Site human remains and textiles, stratigraphic analyses from Leisey Shell Pits, syntheses of ceramic sequences comparable to Weeden Island culture phases, and ethnohistoric examinations of Spanish contact sites like St. Augustine. Authors have included scholars affiliated with the Florida Museum of Natural History, the National Park Service, the Smithsonian Institution, and universities such as University of Florida and Florida State University. The journal has published methodological advances in radiocarbon calibration used by laboratories at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and paleoenvironmental reconstructions integrating data from the Southeastern Geologic Cooperative.

Access and Availability

Print subscriptions are available through the Florida Anthropological Society and are held by repositories including the Library of Congress, state university libraries, and historical societies such as the Florida Historical Society. Back issues are accessible in institutional archives at the University of Florida Digital Collections and on microfilm in regional collections like the Tampa Bay History Center. Individual articles and indices are obtainable via interlibrary loan through systems used by the OCLC network and academic consortia including the State University System of Florida.

Category:Anthropology journals Category:Archaeology of the United States