A Laboratory for Anthropology: Science and Romanticism in the American Southwest, 1846-1930, by Don D. Fowler. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 200.0

The southwestern United States became central to American anthropology early in the development of the discipline. Beginning with the Stevensons and Coshing at Zuni in ethnology and Cushing in the Salt River Valley in archaeology just about everybody who was anybody came to work and learn in the Southwest. For this reason, it is difficult to see the whole field in context and to discern how these scholars fit into the larger picture of American anthropology. Until now no one has put it all together.

Broken into 30 chapters, each of which has topical sub-sections, this book works best when taken small chunks to ponder and digest slowly. When read cover to cover as I did, it needs a timeline to keep track of who was doing what and when. The book provokes thoughts about patterns of people and events. a couple of which I will mention here.