Human Biology of Afro-Caribbean Populations / Edition 1

by Lorena Madrigal

Overview

A comprehensive study of the microevolution of Caribbean populations of African descent, this 2006 book reviews the conditions endured by the slaves during their passage and in the plantations and how these conditions may have affected their own health and that of their descendants. Providing an evolutionary framework for understanding the epidemiology of common modern-day diseases such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes, it also looks at infectious diseases and their effect on the genetic make-up of Afro-Caribbean populations. Also covered are population genetics studies that have been used to understand the microevolutionary pathways for various populations, and demographic characteristics including the relationships between migration, family type and fertility. Ending with a case study of the Afro-Caribbean population of Limón, Costa Rica, this book is an essential resource for researchers working in biological anthropology, demography, and epidemiology, and for those interested in the African diaspora in the New World.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521819312
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/01/2006
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology , #45
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	268
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Lorena Madrigal is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of South Florida and has worked on historical demography, population genetics, disease and modernization and the genetics of longevity. She has also published Statistics for Anthropology (1998; ISBN 0521 577861 paperback).

Table of Contents

1. The African slave trade and the Caribbean; 2. Obesity, hypertension and non-insulin-dependent diabetes; 3. Infectious disease epidemiology and Afro-Caribbean populations; 4. Population genetics of Afro-Caribbean groups; 5. Demography of Afro-Caribbean groups; 6. The Afro-Caribbean population in Limón, Costa Rica; References.

Editorial Reviews

"An important resource for human biologists...provides a useful summary of broad epidemiologic, demographic, and population-genetic patterns among Caribbean's of African Descent and it is a valuable entry point to the literature in this area."
Clarence C. Gravlee, American Journal of Human Biology

From the Publisher