African American health and female victims of domestic violencewill be the topics of a speaker series next week at The Universityof Memphis.
The Charles H. McNutt Speaker Series will present twoanthropologists to speak April 3 and 4 on the cultural dimensionsof health inequalities among African- Americans and the temporalpatterns of woman fleeing domestic abuse.
The Department of Anthropology is sponsoring the event.
William Dressler, professor of anthropology, and Kathryn S.Oths, associate professor of anthropology, are the featuredspeakers. Both are from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.
Satish K. Kedia, assistant professor of medical anthropology atThe U of M, said the speakers were chosen "because they areprominent and work with the minority population."
Dressler is a medical anthropologist who has studied health andequality among African Americans.
He will discuss the interaction of the sociocultural environmentand individual responses that contribute to the risk ofhypertension among African Americans.
He has done extensive research in the southern United States,Great Britain, Mexico, Samoa and the West Indies and has publishedand edited nearly 100 pieces.
Oths is a medical anthropologist who will address the growingpublic health concern of domestic violence in the UnitedStates.
She will explore the idea of temporal patterns of crisis lineand safe house use as well as the motivations for women seekinghelp.
Oths has worked in Peru, Brazil and the southern United Statesand has published work in many national and internationaljournals.
Melina Magsumbol, graduate assistant in the Department ofAnthropology at The U of M, said the speakers are very happy toattend.
"They are doing it for the students," Magsumbol said. "They aretrying to make students aware of the recent trends inanthropology."
Magsumbol said domestic violence is a hot topic among manyanthropologists now, and the lecture will provide insight.
"Students will learn more and understand more about the dynamicsof health, cultural beliefs and attitudes and the infrastructure ofthe healthcare system," Magsumbol said.
The April 3 lecture is in Manning Hall room 201 from 5 to 6:30p.m.
The April 4 lecture is a student brown bag lunch in Manning Hallroom 202 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Both events are free.
