2024
Of what remains and where to go: The past and future of the NVFA
Registration is open for the “Of what remains and where to go: The past and future of the NVFA” symposium on November 9th in the Lipsius Building Leiden!
This year we want to reflect on the discipline of Physical Anthropology in the Netherlands and the role of the NVFA in the field.
We are excited to welcome our speakers George Maat, Machteld Roede and a Keynote speaker from the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology (BABAO)!
After their lectures, a panel discussion by academics, researchers and professionals involved in Physical Anthropology will cover themes regarding the present and future of the field. How do we as an organisation see ourselves evolving in an ever changing science and profession? We are happy to welcome Steffen Baetsen, Tristan Krap, Hayley Mickleburgh, Juliët Rebergen, Sarah Schrader and the keynote speaker as our panelists!
Program
12:00 – 12:30 Welcome and registration
12:30 – 12:45 Tristan Krap (president NVFA) – Welcome and Opening of the Symposium
12:45 – 13:30 Machteld Roede – The Founding of the NVFA
13:30 – 14:15 George Maat – The NVFA. Early days and onwards
14:15 – 14:45 Break with coffee and tea
14:45 – 15:30 Keynote speaker – The role of BABAO in British biological anthropology
15:30 – 16:30 Panel discussion led by Norbert Eeltink
* Drinks and Dinner *
Please register for the symposium through this form.
The symposium drinks will take place at Pakhuis, and the dinner (limited spots!) will be at Freddy’s.
Make sure to indicate whether you will be joining the dinner in the registration form.
The dinner is not included in the registration fee, make sure to save your spot by making your payment (more info in the registration form).
NVFA members: Free
Non-members: €25
Student non-members: €15
Looking forward to seeing you in Leiden,
The NVFA Symposium Committee
Norbert Eeltink, Lina de Jonge, Lotte Wever, Aida Tadesse, and Rosa Seepma
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2023
Diseased, Damaged and Commingled: The Challenges and Opportunities of Studying Modified Archaeological Human Remains
We are happy to announce that registration for the NVFA’s 40th Anniversary Symposium “Diseased, Damaged and Commingled: The Challenges and Opportunities of Studying Modified Archaeological Human Remains” is now open! We invite you to celebrate this commemorative event with us at the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed in Amersfoort on Friday the 10th of November 2023.
Human remains from archaeological contexts provide a unique view on the lives and lived experiences of people in the past. These remains can reveal what people ate, their movements throughout the landscape, how communities dealt with death and disposal, and how healthy or sick individuals and groups of people were. But accessing this wealth of information on the human past can be challenging, especially when human remains have been modified by natural processes or human actions. Unfortunately, such remains have too often been ignored in favour of studying more complete and unmodified remains, which risks biasing our understanding of the past. In this NVFA 40th anniversary celebratory symposium, we will delve deeper into the challenges faced by archaeologists, osteoarchaeologists and biological anthropologists when studying human remains that have been modified by disease, mortuary treatment, and taphonomic processes. How can we minimize bias caused by sampling the best preserved and most complete remains? What methods and approaches can be used when dealing with diseased, damaged and commingled remains?
We invite you to celebrate the NVFA’s 40th anniversary in Amersfoort, with a series of lectures and hands-on workshops on “Diseased, Damaged and Commingled archaeological human remains”. The expert lectures will explore the state-of-the-art possibilities and limitations of studying commingled remains from various contexts in the world, as well as the importance of incorporating interdisciplinary approaches to learn about them. Moreover, the ethical dimensions of handling disarticulated and sometimes decontextualized human remains will be examined.
Hands-on workshops developed from the latest theoretical insights and methods offer the opportunity to learn new or hone existing practical skills. The workshops cover how to analyze cremated remains, the macroscopic and microscopic effects of vitamin-d deficiency on the skeleton, and how to cheaply and efficiently capture 3D models of bones and burials using photogrammetry. In addition, the impact of the osteological paradox on the osteoarchaeological evidence will be re-examined in a series of case studies aimed at seeking solutions to some of its limitations.
By shining new light on these age-old topics, we hope to generate discussion on new solutions for the analysis of diseased, damaged, and commingled archaeological human remains.
Programme
| 9:30-10:00 | Welcome with coffee and tea |
| 10:00-10:15 | Prof. dr. Jos Bazelmans (Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed) Welcome and Opening of the Symposium Dr. Hayley Mickleburgh (University of Amsterdam, NVFA) Reflection and introduction to the program |
| 10:15-11:00 | drs. Steffen Baetsen (ARCHOL) Don’t be Denied: A Puzzle focussing on Teeth from Tiel, the Netherlands |
| 11:00-11:30 | Break |
| 11:30-12:15 | KEYNOTE: Dr. Anna Osterholz (Mississippi State University) Configuring Community: Collective Burial, Commingling, and the Reinforcing of Social Structure |
| 12:15-13:00 | Lunch Break |
| 13:00-13:30 | drs. Inge van der Jagt and Martijn van Haasteren, MA (Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed) Short tour of the RCE osteological collections |
| 13:30-14:15 | Amandine Flammang, MA (Université Libre de Bruxelles) Should We Dig Looted Tombs? An Interdisciplinary Study of Andean Open Sepulchres Funerary Contexts in the Upper Nepeña Drainage, Peru |
| 14:15-15:15 | Dr. Tristan Krap (Maastricht Institute for Criminal Sciences) Workshop 1a: Analyzing Cremated Human Remains |
| 14:15-15:15 | Dr. Barbara Veselka (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) Workshop 1b BYOB: Vitamin D Deficiency Disclosed |
| 15:15-15:45 | Break |
| 15:45-16:45 | Dr. Hayley Mickleburgh (University of Amsterdam, NVFA) Workshop 2a: Creating 3D-models of Bones and Burials with Photogrammetry |
| 15:45-16:45 | Dr. Sarah Schrader (LU) Workshop 2b: The Osteological Paradox: Limitations and Possibilities |
| 16:45-18:30 | Drinks & Osteology QUIZ |
| 19:00 | Dinner at Restaurant voor Iedereen (limited spots available) |
Lunch and refreshments are included, and the symposium will conclude with afternoon drinks and an Osteology Quiz!
Registration
- Student members of the NVFA: €25 (student ID must be shown on the day)
- Members of the NVFA: €40
- Non-members: €55
Register for the Anniversary Symposium through the online registration form. IMPORTANT: your registration is only complete once you have transferred the registration fee to the NVFA bank account (details listed in the form). Make sure to indicate your workshop preferences and whether you will participate in the Osteology Quiz in the form
Symposium dinner (FULL!)
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2020
Dear Members and Aspiring Members,
This statement comes in response to the BLM protests in the Netherlands in the summer of 2020, as well as the widespread attention to the links between racism, colonialism, and physical anthropology that have also been acknowledged and recently reiterated by other professional associations such as AAPA and BABAO.
The NVFA opposes any form of discrimination based on race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age, and agrees with the Black Lives Matter opinion that no human individual or group should be subjected to prejudice, marginalization or discrimination based on their physical characteristics.
We acknowledge the role our discipline has played in supporting and perpetuating racism, and the links between physical anthropology and colonialism.
Race, Racism, and Anti-Racism
Race is not a biological reality, but rather is a social construct based upon people’s perceived phenotypical characteristics. Racism is a system of discrimination against Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) founded on a history of colonialism and slavery. It exists at all levels of society, and we are all a part of it because it has a profound subconscious impact upon the way we think. Anti-racism is the active effort to eliminate racism wherever it is found.
Resources
We encourage all of our Members to read widely on this topic, and we are posting regularly on social media to provide relevant resources. Two relevant books specific to the Netherlands are: ‘Hallo Witte Mensen’ by Anousha Nzume and ‘Witte Onschuld’ by Gloria Wekker. If you have any other suggestions, we would love to hear from you!
Autumn Symposium
A symposium entitled ‘On Race and Racism: The Past and Future of Physical Anthropology’ will take place online on Saturday 28th November 2020 (PROGRAM). During this event we will discuss the history of our discipline (including its misuse by white supremacists and colonial powers) and how we can combat racism in the discipline in the future.
Decolonisation
This is a concept closely related to the issues of race and racism because racist practices are used to uphold colonial hierarchies. In the past, physical anthropology has often been used in this way. Decolonisation includes:
- Acknowledging and interrogating the links between physical anthropology and colonialism
- Encouraging diversity in our professional community, as well as in our reading lists and curricula
- Following ethical research and curation practices that foreground the wishes and needs of living stakeholders
The Autumn symposium will include a presentation on the topic of decolonisation, explaining in more detail what it entails. At our next General Meeting in January or February 2021 there will be an opportunity to reflect on the concept and its implications for our discipline.
The NVFA wants to foster a scientific community of people who will continue to refute the existence of any scientific basis for race and racism in their places of work and education. We look forward to seeing you at our next event.
Yours sincerely,
Kerri Lee Colman, Norbert Eeltink, Felicia Fricke, Hayley Mickleburgh, Roelof-Jan Oostra and Esther Plomp
The Board of the NVFA
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2018
– lustrum excursie, (zaterdag 12 mei) Spy excursie
– lustrumsymposium (zaterdag 24 november) ter ere van de 35e verjaardag van NVFA, te AMC (Academisch Medisch Centrum) Amsterdam
Programma:
09:00-09:30 Koffie/Thee
09:30-09:45 Opening lustrum
09:45-10:45 Keynote spreker (Prof Shari Forbes , University of Technology, Sydney, Australië)
10:45-11:15 Pauze
11:15-11:45 Tafonomie en fysische antropologie (Patrick Randolph-Quinney, University of Central Lancashire, UK)
11:45-12:15 Tafonomie en geofysisch onderzoek (Coen Nienaber, Nederlands Forensisch Instituut)
12:15-12:45 Tafonomie en forensisch onderzoek (Mike Groen, Nederlands Forensisch Instituut / Universiteit Leiden)
12:45-14:00 Lunch
14:00-14:45 Workshops / bezoek ARISTA groep 1
14:45-15:30 Workshops / bezoek ARISTA groep 2
15:30-16:00 Pauze
16:00-16:45 Workshops / bezoek ARISTA groep 3
16:45-17:00 Sluiting lustrum
17:00-19:00 Borrel
Workshops:
- Fotogrammetrie en tafonomie: Hayley Mickleburgh (Universiteit Leiden)
- Disasters, degradatie en identificatie: George Maat (Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum)
- Postmortale interval bepaling: Hans de Boer (Nederlands Forensisch Instituut / Academisch Medisch Centrum)
- Dierlijke tafonomie: Tristan Krap (Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein)
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2015
-najaarssymposium, (zaterdag 21 november 2015, 13:30 uur, Collegezaal 3, LUMC, Leiden)
– excursie (zaterdag 30 mei 2015, Castricum)
– jaarvergadering (zaterdag 7 februari 2015, 13:30 uur, Collegezaal 1, LUMC, Leiden)
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2014
– najaarssymposium, (zaterdag 22 november 2014, 13:30 uur, Collegezaal 1, LUMC, Leiden)
– excursie (zaterdag 31 mei 2014, Maastricht)
– jaarvergadering (zaterdag 8 februari 2014, 13:30 uur, Collegezaal 1, LUMC, Leiden)
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2013
– jaarvergadering (zaterdag 26 januari 2013, 13:30 uur, Collegezaal 1, LUMC, Leiden)
– excursie (zaterdag 18 mei, Alkmaar)
– Lustrum symposium DNA today (zaterdag 30 november, LUMC, Leiden): DNAtoday programmaboek
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2012
– najaarssymposium (zaterdag 3 november 2012, 13:30 uur, Leiden)
– jaarvergadering (zaterdag 28 januari 2012, 13:30 uur, Leiden)
– excursie (zaterdag 23 juni, Leiden)
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2011
– najaarssymposium paleopathologie (zaterdag 19 november 2011, 13:30 uur, Leiden)
– excursie (zaterdag 16 april, Breda) – Artikel
– jaarvergadering (zaterdag 29 januari 2011, 13:30 uur, Leiden)
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2010
– symposium (zaterdag 6 november 2010, 13:30 uur, LUMC collegezaal 3, Leiden)
– bijzondere ledenvergadering en excursie (zaterdag 15 mei, 13:15 Grand Cafe La Gare, Stationsweg 7, Leiden en 14:00 Rijksmuseum voor Oudheden, Rapenburg 28, Leiden)
– jaarvergadering (zaterdag 30 januari 2010, 13:30 uur, LUMC collegezaal 3, Leiden)
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2009
– symposium Neanderthalers aan de Noordzee (vrijdag 27 november 2009, 13:30 uur, LUMC collegezaal 3, Leiden)
– excursie (25 april 2009, 13:30 uur, Teylers museum, Haarlem)
– Kroonlezing door Prof. Bernard Wood, The human fossil record: challenges and opportunities (27 maart 2009, aanmelden via www.snmap.nl)
– jaarvergadering (31 januari 2009)
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2008
– 5e lustrumsymposium (27 september 2008, 10:00 uur, Burumazaal LUMC, Leiden)
– Barge forum (5 juli 2008)
– excursie (24 mei 2008, 12:30 uur, Stationsrestauratie treinstation Assen)
– jaarvergadering (26 januari 2008)
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2007
– symposium (10 november 2007)
– Barge forum (7 juli 2007)
– excursie (12 mei 2007)
– Kroonlezing door Prof. Dr. Peter de Knijff (30 maart 2007)
– jaarvergadering (27 januari 2007)
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2006
– symposium (4 november 2006)
– excursie (13 mei 2006)
– jaarvergadering (28 januari 2006)
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2005
– symposium (12 november 2005)
– excursie (21 mei 2005)
– jaarvergadering (26 februari 2005)