Канадская Ассоциация Физической Антропологии: История и Деятельность

The Canadian Association for Physical Anthropology / L'Association Canadienne D'Anthropologie Physique (CAPA/ACAP) is a learned society of international scholars and students of Physical Anthropology in Canada. The Associations's mission is to promote and increase awareness and understanding of physical (biological) anthropology among its membership and to support institutions, agencies, and the public at large. The Association is guided by a constitution and code of ethics, holds annual meetings, distributes biannual newsletters to its membership, and offers funding opportunities for student members. The current president in 2017 is Dr. Ian Colquhoun (University of Western Ontario).

The mission statement of CAPA/ACAP, as listed on the website, is as follows: "The Canadian Association of Physical Anthropology / L'Association Canadienne D'Anthropologie Physique is a learned society of international scholars and students whose aim is to promote and increase awareness and understanding of physical (biological) anthropology among its membership, as well as to supporting institutions and agencies and the public at large. Physical anthropologists study adaptation, variability and evolution in a biocultural context. Our members recognize and celebrate the geographic and temporal diversity and complexity of ancient and modern humankind, our hominid forebears and our nonhuman primate cousins and their ancestors. As such, our discipline is inherently multidisciplinary, crossing the boundaries between the natural and social sciences, in order to provide a richer understanding of human diversity and complexity." This statement is upheld by the CAPA ACAP Constitution and Code of Ethics (2015).

The Canadian Association for Physical Anthropology/L'Association Canadienne d'Anthropologie Physique (CAPA ACAP) was founded during the 1972 meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Founding members Drs. Frank Auger (Université de Montréal/Deceased), Charles Eyman (University of Calgary/Deceased), Geoff Gaherty (McMaster University), Jamshed Mavalwala (University of Toronto), James Paterson (University of Calgary), and Christopher Meiklejohn (University of Winnipeg) felt Canadian physical anthropologists should not have to travel to the United States to meet each other professionally. The first annual meeting was held in Banff in February 1973, where Drs. Frank Auger, Braxton Alfred, and Chris Meiklejohn were elected President, Secretary/Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor, respectively.

CAPA ACAP initially had three Executive Officer positions: President, Secretary Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor. In 2003, the position of Student Representative was added to provide student members with a more active voice within the Association. With the launch of the first CAPA ACAP website in 1997, the position of Webmaster was created. In 2014, the new CAPA ACAP website was launched, along with a change in the title of Webmaster to Website Editor. More information regarding the roles and responsibilities of the Executive Officers, as well as a list of past Officers, is available on the CAPA ACAP website

The Association began a Newsletter in 1976 to keep the membership appraised of relevant events on a regular basis. In 1979, the Newsletter was transformed into a journal, the Canadian Review of Physical Anthropology, which published four volumes. In 1983, 1985, and 1986, topics typically covered in the Newsletter were incorporated into the Canadian Journal of Anthropology to reduce publication costs. Unfortunately, due to the cost involved in publishing a journal that had low circulation beyond the membership, the journal Canadian Review of Physical Anthropology was discontinued in 1985. Since then, the Association continues to publish a biannual Newsletter, including topics relevant for the membership, articles, minutes from the annual meeting, reports from the Executive Officers and so forth. The Association has also published three other volumes. First, papers presented at an international symposium in honor of Davidson Black, the Canadian anatomist who named Sinanthropus pekinensis in 1927, were published in a volume titled "Homo Erectus: Papers in Honor of Davidson Black" edited by Sigmon and Cybulski (1981). Second, CAPA ACAP partially sponsored two symposia during the 1983 International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences in Vancouver, which led to "Out of Asia: Peopling of the Americas and the Pacific" edited by Kirk and Szathmáry (1985). Finally, a symposium discussing the impact of opening of the Iron Curtain on academia during the 1991 CAPA ACAP meeting in Hamilton resulted in the edited volume "Before the Wall Fell: The Science of Man in Socialist Europe" edited by Sigmon (1993).

CAPA ACAP has held an annual meeting since its founding in 1973. A list of the location of the annual meetings and hosting institutions is provided below and more details are available on the CAPA ACAP website. #YearLocationHosting Institution472019Banff, ABUniversity of Calgary462018London, ONThe University of Western Ontarion452017Edmonton, ABUniversity of Edmonton442016Peterborough, ONTrent University432015Winnipeg, MBUniversity of Manitoba422014Fredericton, NBUniversity of New Brunswick412013Scarborough, ONUniversity of Toronto402012Victoria, BCUniversities of Victoria and Northern British Columbia392011Montréal, QCUniversité de Montréal382010Saskatoon, SKUniversity of Saskatchewan372009Vancouver, BCSimon Fraser University362008Hamilton, ONMcMaster University352007Banff, ABUniversity of Calgary342006Peterborough, ONTrent University332005Winnipeg, MBUniversity of Manitoba322004London, ONUniversity of Western Ontario312003Edmonton, ABUniversity of Alberta302002Ottawa, ONCanadian Museum of Civilization292001Winnipeg, MBUniversity of Manitoba282000Burlington, ONMcMaster University271999Fredericton, NBUniversity of New Brunswick261998Calgary, ABUniversity of Calgary251997London, ONUniversity of Western Ontario241996Kingston, ONQueen's University231995Las Vegas, NVUniversity of Nevada221994Windsor, ONUniversity of Windsor211993St. John's, NLMemorial University of Newfoundland201992Edmonton, ABUniversity of Alberta191991Hamilton, ONMcMaster University181990Banff, ABUniversity of Calgary171989Vancouver, BCSimon Fraser University161988Peterborough, ONTrent University151987Lake Simcoe, ONUniversity of Toronto141986Montréal, QCUniversité de Montréal131985Thunder Bay, ONLakehead University121984Edmonton, ABUniversity of Alberta111983Montréal, QCUniversité de Montréal101982Guelph, ONUniversity of Guelph91981Banff, ABUniversity of Calgary81980Ottawa, ONCanadian Museum of Civilization71979Ste Adèle, QCUniversité de Montréal61978Niagara on the Lake, ONUniversity of Toronto51977Banff, ABUniversity of Calgary41976Cedar Glen, ONUniversity of Toronto31975Winnipeg, MBUniversity of Manitoba21974Peterborough, ONTrent University11973Banff, ABUniversity of Calgary