The core subject matter of bioarchaeology is the lives of past peoples, interpreted anthropologically. Human remains, contextualized archaeologically and historically, form the unit of study. Integrative and frequently inter-disciplinary, bioarchaeology draws methods and theoretical perspectives from across the sciences and the humanities. "Bioarchaeology: The Contextual Study of Human Remains" focuses upon North American bioarchaeology, as defined above, which contrasts with European approaches more firmly linked to the study of all organic archaeological residues. Although Buikstra coined this use of Bioarchaeology in the 1970s, the unique approaches of this field of inquiry have much deeper roots, primarly reflected in the history of American Anthropology. This book uses an historical approach to explore this history, to define the current status of the field, and to project the future of bioarchaeology. It is divided into three sections: People and Places; Early Landmarks in Bioarchaeology; Emerging Specialities; and, On to the 21st Century. The book includes human life histories studied through integration of skeletal biology with archaeological and contextual approaches.
It draws from traditionally distinct sub-disciplines of anthropology. It is multi-disciplinary, and includes historical, contemporary and future perspective, and broad array of scholars/scholarship.