Alexis Boutin

Dr. Alexis Boutin is a Professor of Anthropology and CHRM Graduate Coordinator at Sonoma State University, specializing in bioarchaeology and osteobiographical narratives. Their research bridges biological anthropology, archaeology, and social theory to explore embodied personhood in ancient Near Eastern, Gulf, and eastern Mediterranean cultures through human skeletal remains, mortuary contexts, and ancient texts.

• PhD in Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania (2008)
• BA in Anthropology, Pomona College (2000)

Boutin's research focuses on reconstructing gender, age, class, and kin relations from ancient skeletal remains using fictive osteobiographical narratives. Fieldwork spans Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, and Crete, with extensive work on collections at the British Museum, University College London, Hearst Museum of Anthropology, and Badè Museum of Biblical Archaeology.

Recent publications emphasize community collaboration in bioarchaeology and stakeholder-oriented interpretation. Their 2022-2024 works address contemporary bioarchaeological methodology, digital reconstruction, and post-pandemic archaeological pedagogy. Earlier research (2008-2019) analyzed disability construction in Dilmun society, mortuary practices in the Near East, and life course modeling in Alalakh skeletal remains.