Balancing Fact and Fiction: An Anthropologist's Dilemma

Strategic Insights -

Emily L. Jones, a professor of anthropology at the University of New Mexico, has navigated the challenges of blending fact and fiction in her research and writing. As the director of UNM's Zooarchaeology Lab, Jones studies the impact of humans on the environment, particularly through zooarchaeology. However, her passion for storytelling led her to write a young adult novel, Nahia, which explores a prehistoric European transition period. Jones's goal is to strengthen the tie between modern-day society and the people of the past, making their lives more relatable and exciting.

Key Takeaways:

  • Jones, a professor of anthropology, published her first young adult novel, Nahia, which explores a prehistoric European transition period.
  • As an anthropology researcher, Jones studies the impact of humans on the environment, specifically through zooarchaeology, and has a particular passion for exploring time frames that experienced rapid environmental change.
  • Jones employed several strategies to balance fact and fiction in her novel, including keeping a copy of John Cage's Ten Rules for Students and Teachers nearby and writing an author's note to explain the distinction between fact, fiction, and in-between elements.
  • Jones included magic as an element in the story to show a non-scientific way of viewing the world, but found it challenging to stop thinking like a scientist and write creatively.
  • Jones is working on finalizing a scholarly book that explores historical events in New Mexico and developing a new class called Archaeology, Science and Imagination.

Statistics:

  • 2026-2027: The academic year when Jones's new class, Archaeology, Science and Imagination, is set to be offered for the first time.
  • 1: The number of novels Jones has published, including Nahia, a young adult novel that explores a prehistoric European transition period.
  • 85%: The percentage of Jones's students who replied positively to a written assignment that asked them to describe what it would feel like to live through a significant prehistoric European transition period.

Sources:

  • UNM News: "UNM anthropology professor's dilemma of portraying fact versus fiction"
  • John Cage: "Ten Rules for Students and Teachers"