Lauren Hosek’s co-authored article published in American Journal of Biological Anthropology
Posted on May 15, 2026, by Loretto Community
Announcement posted on the University of Colorado, Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences website, May 12, 2026
Lauren Hosek’s co-authored article, “On Making Descendant Communities: Three Case Studies From Historical Bioarchaeology,” Published in American Journal of Biological Anthropology.
Abstract
Bioarchaeologists, museums and universities, journal editorial boards, and academic professional organizations are working toward ethical engagements with human remains, with a focus on descendant community engagement. This article reexamines past and present bioarchaeological descendant community engagement to consider how “descendant community” has been defined. The authors present three case studies to highlight variation in descendant community definition in practice. The first describes the Loretto Bioarchaeology Project, a community-engaged investigation of the lives of Catholic Sisters (1870–1969) based in Denver, Colorado. The Loretto Community of Sisters and affiliates acts as the descendant community, centering ‘chosen’ family over biological relationships.
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Full article is available to read on the American Journal of Biological Anthropology website.
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