Not everyone is willing to unpack their past—particularly when it is traumatic or extreme. But Sonja Ulrich, lecturer of anthropology and behavioral sciences, unflinchingly owns her story and the hard-won lessons she has learned from her life experiences. For more than 30 years, she has been rebuilding herself in the aftermath of her tumultuous youth and involvement with the Rajneesh movement, which many experts describe as a cult. Born in Germany and raised by a single mother, Ulrich had what she describes as an “unstable” upbringing. Her mother, who faced many challenges as a single parent, became involved with European communes founded by Rajneeshees, followers of Indian guru Bhagwan ... Read More
Anthropology
New Book Explores the Resilience of the Ancient Maya
Throughout human history, civilizations have had to adapt to ever-shifting environments in order to survive–whether sudden, catastrophic climate events, or gradual changes that span centuries. These human-environmental relationships are at the center of The Maya and Climate Change (Oxford University Press, Nov. 2022), a new book by CSUDH Assistant Professor of Anthropology Ken Seligson. Since 2010, Seligson has worked on archaeological excavations and mapping in the northern Maya lowlands of Yucatán, Mexico. He wanted to research and write a book shifting the focus away from the oft-cited “collapse” of the Classic Maya civilization, and instead toward their centuries of socioecological ... Read More
Student Podcast Brings Ancient Maya to Life
What's the best way to make an ancient civilization accessible to a wide audience? Ask Jackeline and Lesli Hernandez, and they will tell you that podcasting is the key. The two sisters, who both graduated from CSUDH in May with degrees in anthropology, started the podcast “Uncovering the Ancient Maya” in Spring 2022 to provide accurate, historical insights about the Maya to the general public. “Podcasting is how people now get information,” Lesli said. “Maya culture is hard to explain. We hear so many misconceptions about the Maya community, and we wanted people to be more informed.” The Hernandez sisters credit Assistant Professor of Anthropology Ken Seligson for helping them ... Read More
Anthropology Graduate Brings Personal Perspective to Research
The CSUDH Class of 2022 has had many obstacles to overcome to reach graduation–and graduating senior Lukas Daniels (BA, Anthropology) is no different. He transferred from El Camino College to CSUDH in the spring of 2020, just in time for the campus to “go virtual” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As he and his fellow students were navigating the transition to online learning, Daniels was dealing with his own unique challenges. He lives with Hyper Mobile Joint Disorder, which causes chronic pain in his joints, fingers, and limbs. “My joints kind of move in place when they're not supposed to,” he explains. His hypermobility issues can make typing painful and difficult–an obvious problem ... Read More
CSUDH Professor Enjoys Side Project as TV Anthropology Expert
Whether it's the bones in the Paris catacombs or the historical use of psychedelics, television producers know who to call when they need some expert commentary: CSUDH associate professor of anthropology Sarah Lacy. In the last six months, she has been featured prominently on both the History Channel's The UnXplained with William Shatner and CuriosityStream's History by the Numbers, which also airs on Smithsonian Channel Canada. Lacy's foray as an expert commentator started as a fun YouTube project. She and Cal Poly Pomona history professor Rachael Hill starred in several short videos for Gamology's Experts React series, offering academic opinions on the accuracy of historical video games ... Read More
