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Identifying and Quantifying the Lived Spaces of Individuals in the Cobb Human Archive

Jennifer L Muller1, Noreyana Fernando2, and Page Plocic1


Department of Anthropology, Ithaca College1
Department of Journalism, Ithaca College2
INTRODUCTION

METHODS

RESIDENCE AND LOCATION IN THE DISTRICT

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have revolutionized the representation of information


by converting non-spatial data, to spatial data. GIS helps create maps that allows us to
visualize, analyze and interpret trends in data that might otherwise go unnoticed. This
research specifically addresses the identification and quantification of the lived spaces
associated with individuals from the W. Montague Cobb Human Archive (1930s-1940s).
Addresses are mapped to illustrate the residence or location of the persons associated with
the archive, thereby helping investigate hypotheses and draw conclusions about trends in
geographic location. Furthermore, GIS allows the representation of non-spatial data
alongside spatial data. The maps are able to therefore indicate not only location, but also
gender, age, and racial classification using a color and symbol coding system.

THE W. MONTAGUE COBB HUMAN ARCHIVE


William Montague Cobb was a medical doctor and biological anthropologist. Being of
both African American and Native American descent, Cobb recognized the importance
educating young people of color to be doctors and scholars, not just research subjects.
In the 1930s, he began amassing a skeletal collection to be used in the education of
doctors at Howard University. At this point in time, it was commonly believed that races
had significant anatomical differences that either made them superior or inferior to
other groups. Dr. Cobb's goal was to refute these notions of innate physiological
differences. From 1932 to 1969, Cobb collected over 900 cadavers, ranging in age from
infants to 80+, to perform dissections to support the idea that individuals of all races had
the same general anatomy. Today, most of the skeletal remains and associated archival
documents from this collection are housed at Howard University in the W. Montague
Cobb Research Laboratory.

RESULTS - THE GREAT NORTHERN MIGRATION


Given the varied ranges of time that individuals in the Cobb
Archive lived as District residents, analyses must include
profiling the biological and social contexts of places where
individuals lived before their arrival to Washington, DC. It is
hypothesized that the majority of individuals are from the
states south of the District of Columbia. Between 1910 and
1970, the great northern migration was the movement of
approximately 6 million African Americans from the rural
South to the urban North in search of economic opportunity.

The above map shows the location and/or residence of individuals from the Cobb Human
Archive at their time of death. The vast majority of individuals are located in the
Northwest quadrant of the city. Within the Northwest quadrant, most individuals reside
in an area currently referred to as NoMa or North of Massachusetts Avenue. The
second and third most populated neighborhoods are those of Shaw and Pleasant Plains
respectively. Each of these three neighborhoods are historically Black neighborhoods,
reflecting the socially sanctioned racial classification of individuals in the Cobb Human
Archive.
There is also a large cluster of individuals in the Southwest quadrant of the city. The 60
individuals located in this quadrant represent people who resided in the District of
Columbia poorhouse. The poorhouse has had several names throughout its history,
including Blue Plains, Home for the Aged and Infirm, and DC Village. It has had a
reputation for abusive behaviors towards its residences and deplorable living conditions.
In the 1940s, Eleanor Roosevelt stated, It is sad and horrible if we are going to let Blue
Plains be our standard for the nation on the attitude to old age.
Further analyses are required to reveal the complexities associated with Cobb individuals
lived spaces. This includes mapping those individuals from the 1950s and 1960s.
Through the analysis of census data, we also hope to reveal more information about living
spaces prior to the time of death and entry into the poorhouse.

THE LIVED SPACE OF INDIVIDUALS IN THE COBB HUMAN ARCHIVE


To date, investigations of the the Cobb Collection describe it as being comprised of
representatives from the poor, black community who died in the District of Columbia
between 1931 and 1969. This oversimplification does not reflect the complexities of the
lived experiences and spaces of the individuals represented by the skeletal remains and
archival documents. Watkins and Muller (2013) recognize the limitations of the normative
spatial framing often associated with bioarchaeological investigations. A humanistic and
critical biological anthropology requires consideration for the multiple spaces that individuals
have moved through during their lifetime.

This hypothesis is supported by GIS


analysis.
The birthplace of Cobb
individuals is mapped in relation to the
District of Columbia.
The greater
quantity and thickness of the red lines
indicates that the largest number of
nativities are from southern states.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Dr. Ali Erkan, Department of Computer Science, Ithaca College
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Howard University
Dr. Fatimah Jackson, W. Montague Cobb Research Laboratory

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