Aviva Ann Cormier

Aviva Ann Cormier is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Anthropology at Vassar College since 2024, specializing in bioarchaeology with a focus on individuals whose physical differences challenge societal norms of 'normalcy' in historical contexts.

Education:

• BA, Brandeis University
• MA, Boston University
• PhD, Boston University

Her research examines how individuals with physical differences navigated social and physical environments in past societies, analyzing the intersections of disability, culture, and self-identification through skeletal remains and archaeological contexts. This work bridges historical bioarchaeology with contemporary disability studies.

Dr. Cormier actively contributes to major international projects including the Phaleron Bioarchaeology Project in Greece and the Holmul Archaeological Project in Guatemala. Her recent publication in the International Journal of Paleopathology explores life course experiences of individuals affected by rare diseases in antiquity.

She teaches core anthropology courses including ANTH 130: Archaeology: Lessons From the Past and ANTH 220: Topics in Biological Anthropology, integrating her research on disability into pedagogical practice.