My current pursuits meld archaeology, the anthropology of alcohol cultures, brewing and distilling technologies, and travel journalism to produce the premier website and travel journal for all things alcohol related. My extensive travels, as well as my education in business and anthropology, is integral to this venture.
I am currently looking for contributors with excellent writing skills as contributors to the website/journal when it comes online this winter, as well as talent for a proposed beer-based travel show which we expect to launch by 2020. Please feel free to message me if you are interested in either opportunity, Supervisors: Arlen Chase
" Malnutrition and illnesses related to it are rampant problems in a majority of the regions... more " Malnutrition and illnesses related to it are rampant problems in a majority of the regions once occupied by Classic Maya society. Contemporary studies based on archaeological data and chemical analysis of faunal and human bones in many... more
Malnutrition and illnesses related to it are rampant problems in a majority of the regions once o... more Malnutrition and illnesses related to it are rampant problems in a majority of the regions once occupied by Classic Maya society. Contemporary studies based on archaeological data and chemical analysis of faunal and human bones in many areas demonstrate that the diet of many Classic Maya societies was nutritionally superior to that of many Maya today. Consequently, the last millennium has seen several shifts in "foodways" that have detrimentally affected the health and stature of the contemporary Maya populations in the region. Historical, ethnographic, and biological studies all point to the causes of stunting and the related illnesses observed in Guatemala today.
This paper builds a framework for the discussion of dietary insufficiency and its causal relationship with stunting and long-term health in the Guatemalan Maya region. Evidence points to historical shifts, contemporary cultural practices, and biological forces as variables in the equation that produces these results. On to a foundational understanding of historical shifts in the Maya diet, implications are made that indicate contemporary practices, despite several programs focused on alleviating the problem of stunting, have done little to reverse the effects of these shifts in rural Guatemala. In fact, these practices combined with socioeconomic nutritional deprivation continue to perpetuate this epidemic. Additionally, The medical impacts of stunting, through “fetal programming”, morbidity, and malnutrition have developed a cyclical epidemic of multi-generational regressions in stature for the Guatemalan Maya people.
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is seldom used in the Maya Lowlands. Unfortunately, this h... more Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is seldom used in the Maya Lowlands. Unfortunately, this handicaps the ability to represent our findings in a way that is conducive to wide dissemination. This paper demonstrates the usefulness of GIS in the region through the testing of two hypotheses. 1) The assertion that a society's military, social, or economic area of influence can be defined by a simple numeric quality must be revised to include an understanding of the threat and need assessment as well as cost analysis of the terrain between themselves and their target communities, and 2) The confluence of cost path analysis lines between Caracol and several other influential sites in the Maya diaspora, spatial placing of the San Juan termini of Caracol, Belize on a path common to all cost paths out of the city, and lack of terraces surrounding the site indicate the possibility of a significant difference between San Juan and other termini already excavated.
The framework for this article is set upon the uniqueness of the Caracol site, as it pertains to the above hypotheses. An outline of cost path theory and its processes is added to this framework. Then, construction of the shell is completed through individual analysis about how cost path data from Caracol affects arguments concerning the hypotheses. Completion of the structural argument rests on the conclusions that a new process for differentiating territories is needed for Mesoamerica and that San Juan could be a significantly different type of termini based on GIS analysis. Finally, beautification of the arguments is suggested through future works and suggestions given to use GIS in these and other projects.
Malnutrition and illnesses related to it are rampant problems in a majority of the regions once o... more Malnutrition and illnesses related to it are rampant problems in a majority of the regions once occupied by Classic Maya society. Contemporary studies based on archaeological data and chemical analysis of faunal and human bones in many areas demonstrate that the diet of many Classic Maya societies was nutritionally superior to that of many Maya today. Historical data can be analyzed on a regional level to compare health, diet, and technologies for geographically similar populations. From these comparisons, individualized suggestions can be made for reintroduction of foods and/or technologies that will benefit the Modern people in these regions.
Through a broad definition of food history and its associated utilization strategies and technologies, this paper suggests that modern society is at a point where agricultural and culinary intensification must be developed. Furthermore, many examples are available in the archaeological record of intensification technologies that if reintroduced would help alleviate malnutrition and land dispersal issues in the region. While it is clear that more than this must be done, the inclusion of these processes should be an integral part of all poverty reduction programs in these areas.
The status quo exclusion of human populations from “pristine” forests, once prevalent within cons... more The status quo exclusion of human populations from “pristine” forests, once prevalent within conservation dialogues, has waxed and waned for generations; however, population growth and land shortages across the Global South threaten a large portion of the world’s protected forests. A paradigm shift is underway in conservationist circles: human incursion into many protected areas and the utilization of natural resources therein, while not sought after, is being embraced out of necessity. To accommodate this shift, physical and social scientists are uniting to develop culturally and ecologically appropriate systems of sustainable farming practices. Inroads have been made in culturally appropriate program development through Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) systems and other bottom-up development strategies, and the best-practices in data collection have advanced in step with the adoption of scientific knowledge and technologies. However, despite a plethora of well designed experiments and several attempts to articulate the results in an accessible format, the available evaluation tools are either far too complicated and parochial, myopically specialized, or exclusive of one or more essential markers of sustainability. This poster presents an attempt to develop an AMOEBA-based analytical tool that includes social, economic, and environmental variables that are universally applicable and essential to all sustainable development projects, while facilitating the transmission of the gathered data to all stakeholders in a medium that is easily compared and understood. This analytical tool and the suggested, long-term experimentation with “environmentally benign” agroforestry systems could be the optimal framework for many smallholder- and community-based development programs in the Global South.
" Malnutrition and illnesses related to it are rampant problems in a majority of the regions... more " Malnutrition and illnesses related to it are rampant problems in a majority of the regions once occupied by Classic Maya society. Contemporary studies based on archaeological data and chemical analysis of faunal and human bones in many... more
Malnutrition and illnesses related to it are rampant problems in a majority of the regions once o... more Malnutrition and illnesses related to it are rampant problems in a majority of the regions once occupied by Classic Maya society. Contemporary studies based on archaeological data and chemical analysis of faunal and human bones in many areas demonstrate that the diet of many Classic Maya societies was nutritionally superior to that of many Maya today. Consequently, the last millennium has seen several shifts in "foodways" that have detrimentally affected the health and stature of the contemporary Maya populations in the region. Historical, ethnographic, and biological studies all point to the causes of stunting and the related illnesses observed in Guatemala today.
This paper builds a framework for the discussion of dietary insufficiency and its causal relationship with stunting and long-term health in the Guatemalan Maya region. Evidence points to historical shifts, contemporary cultural practices, and biological forces as variables in the equation that produces these results. On to a foundational understanding of historical shifts in the Maya diet, implications are made that indicate contemporary practices, despite several programs focused on alleviating the problem of stunting, have done little to reverse the effects of these shifts in rural Guatemala. In fact, these practices combined with socioeconomic nutritional deprivation continue to perpetuate this epidemic. Additionally, The medical impacts of stunting, through “fetal programming”, morbidity, and malnutrition have developed a cyclical epidemic of multi-generational regressions in stature for the Guatemalan Maya people.
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is seldom used in the Maya Lowlands. Unfortunately, this h... more Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is seldom used in the Maya Lowlands. Unfortunately, this handicaps the ability to represent our findings in a way that is conducive to wide dissemination. This paper demonstrates the usefulness of GIS in the region through the testing of two hypotheses. 1) The assertion that a society's military, social, or economic area of influence can be defined by a simple numeric quality must be revised to include an understanding of the threat and need assessment as well as cost analysis of the terrain between themselves and their target communities, and 2) The confluence of cost path analysis lines between Caracol and several other influential sites in the Maya diaspora, spatial placing of the San Juan termini of Caracol, Belize on a path common to all cost paths out of the city, and lack of terraces surrounding the site indicate the possibility of a significant difference between San Juan and other termini already excavated.
The framework for this article is set upon the uniqueness of the Caracol site, as it pertains to the above hypotheses. An outline of cost path theory and its processes is added to this framework. Then, construction of the shell is completed through individual analysis about how cost path data from Caracol affects arguments concerning the hypotheses. Completion of the structural argument rests on the conclusions that a new process for differentiating territories is needed for Mesoamerica and that San Juan could be a significantly different type of termini based on GIS analysis. Finally, beautification of the arguments is suggested through future works and suggestions given to use GIS in these and other projects.
Malnutrition and illnesses related to it are rampant problems in a majority of the regions once o... more Malnutrition and illnesses related to it are rampant problems in a majority of the regions once occupied by Classic Maya society. Contemporary studies based on archaeological data and chemical analysis of faunal and human bones in many areas demonstrate that the diet of many Classic Maya societies was nutritionally superior to that of many Maya today. Historical data can be analyzed on a regional level to compare health, diet, and technologies for geographically similar populations. From these comparisons, individualized suggestions can be made for reintroduction of foods and/or technologies that will benefit the Modern people in these regions.
Through a broad definition of food history and its associated utilization strategies and technologies, this paper suggests that modern society is at a point where agricultural and culinary intensification must be developed. Furthermore, many examples are available in the archaeological record of intensification technologies that if reintroduced would help alleviate malnutrition and land dispersal issues in the region. While it is clear that more than this must be done, the inclusion of these processes should be an integral part of all poverty reduction programs in these areas.
The status quo exclusion of human populations from “pristine” forests, once prevalent within cons... more The status quo exclusion of human populations from “pristine” forests, once prevalent within conservation dialogues, has waxed and waned for generations; however, population growth and land shortages across the Global South threaten a large portion of the world’s protected forests. A paradigm shift is underway in conservationist circles: human incursion into many protected areas and the utilization of natural resources therein, while not sought after, is being embraced out of necessity. To accommodate this shift, physical and social scientists are uniting to develop culturally and ecologically appropriate systems of sustainable farming practices. Inroads have been made in culturally appropriate program development through Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) systems and other bottom-up development strategies, and the best-practices in data collection have advanced in step with the adoption of scientific knowledge and technologies. However, despite a plethora of well designed experiments and several attempts to articulate the results in an accessible format, the available evaluation tools are either far too complicated and parochial, myopically specialized, or exclusive of one or more essential markers of sustainability. This poster presents an attempt to develop an AMOEBA-based analytical tool that includes social, economic, and environmental variables that are universally applicable and essential to all sustainable development projects, while facilitating the transmission of the gathered data to all stakeholders in a medium that is easily compared and understood. This analytical tool and the suggested, long-term experimentation with “environmentally benign” agroforestry systems could be the optimal framework for many smallholder- and community-based development programs in the Global South.
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Papers by Corey Kerkela
This paper builds a framework for the discussion of dietary insufficiency and its causal relationship with stunting and long-term health in the Guatemalan Maya region. Evidence points to historical shifts, contemporary cultural practices, and biological forces as variables in the equation that produces these results. On to a foundational understanding of historical shifts in the Maya diet, implications are made that indicate contemporary practices, despite several programs focused on alleviating the problem of stunting, have done little to reverse the effects of these shifts in rural Guatemala. In fact, these practices combined with socioeconomic nutritional deprivation continue to perpetuate this epidemic. Additionally, The medical impacts of stunting, through “fetal programming”, morbidity, and malnutrition have developed a cyclical epidemic of multi-generational regressions in stature for the Guatemalan Maya people.
The framework for this article is set upon the uniqueness of the Caracol site, as it pertains to the above hypotheses. An outline of cost path theory and its processes is added to this framework. Then, construction of the shell is completed through individual analysis about how cost path data from Caracol affects arguments concerning the hypotheses. Completion of the structural argument rests on the conclusions that a new process for differentiating territories is needed for Mesoamerica and that San Juan could be a significantly different type of termini based on GIS analysis. Finally, beautification of the arguments is suggested through future works and suggestions given to use GIS in these and other projects.
Through a broad definition of food history and its associated utilization strategies and technologies, this paper suggests that modern society is at a point where agricultural and culinary intensification must be developed. Furthermore, many examples are available in the archaeological record of intensification technologies that if reintroduced would help alleviate malnutrition and land dispersal issues in the region. While it is clear that more than this must be done, the inclusion of these processes should be an integral part of all poverty reduction programs in these areas.
Conference Presentations by Corey Kerkela
This paper builds a framework for the discussion of dietary insufficiency and its causal relationship with stunting and long-term health in the Guatemalan Maya region. Evidence points to historical shifts, contemporary cultural practices, and biological forces as variables in the equation that produces these results. On to a foundational understanding of historical shifts in the Maya diet, implications are made that indicate contemporary practices, despite several programs focused on alleviating the problem of stunting, have done little to reverse the effects of these shifts in rural Guatemala. In fact, these practices combined with socioeconomic nutritional deprivation continue to perpetuate this epidemic. Additionally, The medical impacts of stunting, through “fetal programming”, morbidity, and malnutrition have developed a cyclical epidemic of multi-generational regressions in stature for the Guatemalan Maya people.
The framework for this article is set upon the uniqueness of the Caracol site, as it pertains to the above hypotheses. An outline of cost path theory and its processes is added to this framework. Then, construction of the shell is completed through individual analysis about how cost path data from Caracol affects arguments concerning the hypotheses. Completion of the structural argument rests on the conclusions that a new process for differentiating territories is needed for Mesoamerica and that San Juan could be a significantly different type of termini based on GIS analysis. Finally, beautification of the arguments is suggested through future works and suggestions given to use GIS in these and other projects.
Through a broad definition of food history and its associated utilization strategies and technologies, this paper suggests that modern society is at a point where agricultural and culinary intensification must be developed. Furthermore, many examples are available in the archaeological record of intensification technologies that if reintroduced would help alleviate malnutrition and land dispersal issues in the region. While it is clear that more than this must be done, the inclusion of these processes should be an integral part of all poverty reduction programs in these areas.