Severin Fowles, an anthropologist from Columbia University, is scheduled to deliver the 2025 Journal of Anthropological Research (JAR) Distinguished Lecture. The event will take place on Thursday, October 23, at 5:30 p.m. in Hibben Hall, Room 105.
The lecture, titled “Image Capture: War and Iconology in Colonial New Mexico,” will examine the history of colonialism in the American West. Fowles will focus on how Native communities engaged with, repurposed, resisted, or adopted elements introduced during colonial times. He aims to move beyond traditional materialist analyses to explore the role of images and their functions within these historical contexts.
A question-and-answer session is scheduled for the following day at 11 a.m., followed by a seminar titled “Iconohistory” at noon in Anthropology Room 248. The seminar will discuss the history of images in New Mexico and introduce a theoretical framework for studying rock art as iconology.
Fowles is a professor of anthropology and American studies and directs the Archaeology Track at Barnard College, which is affiliated with Columbia University. His research focuses on Indigenous communities in the American Southwest and Great Plains, exploring their responses to colonialism through art, landscape, and material culture. His recent publication, “On Wolves and Predation in Colonial New Mexico,” co-authored with Julia Morris, analyzes human-animal relationships in colonial New Mexico.
The events are sponsored by the Journal of Anthropological Research and the Department of Anthropology. They are free to attend and wheelchair accessible. Students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to participate. Those without a University of New Mexico parking permit are advised to use metered parking along Redondo Road or Las Lomas Road to avoid fines.
The Journal of Anthropological Research has been published quarterly by the University of New Mexico since 1945 and is recognized as a leading publication in anthropological scholarship. More information about the journal can be found at Journal of Anthropological Research.
“These events, sponsored by the Journal of Anthropological Research and the Department of Anthropology, are free and wheelchair accessible. Students, staff and faculty are encouraged to attend. Attendees without a UNM parking permit should use metered spaces along Redondo Road or Las Lomas Road to avoid fines.”
