Agustin Fuentes
Encyclopedia
Agustin Fuentes is an American primatologist and Biological Anthropologist whose work focuses largely on human and non-human primate interaction, pathogen transfer, communication, cooperation, and human social evolution.
with a B.A. in Anthropology
and Zoology
, as well as an M.A. and PhD in Anthropology, and has since been researching his main interests in the fields of biological anthropology
and primatology
. He is currently a professor in the Department of Anthropology at University of Notre Dame
, as well as the director for their Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts.
, where the monkeys are a large tourist attraction, focusing on the spread of diseases between humans and macaques.
He has also done extensive work in the area of human social evolution, particularly relating to the neurological aspects. Dr. Fuentes believes that increased social complexity was necessary for our interaction with the environment and within our own social groups. It is this increased complexity along with primate biology and a changing environment that he believes is responsible for the success of humans in terms of expansion beyond the limits of most animal species.
Career
Although not originally planning on studying primates, it was largely due to the influence of the work of his undergraduate and graduate advisor, professor Phyllis Dolhinow, and her class on primate social behavior that attracted him to the field. Dr. Fuentes graduated from University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
with a B.A. in Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and Zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
, as well as an M.A. and PhD in Anthropology, and has since been researching his main interests in the fields of biological anthropology
Biological anthropology
Biological anthropology is that branch of anthropology that studies the physical development of the human species. It plays an important part in paleoanthropology and in forensic anthropology...
and primatology
Primatology
Primatology is the scientific study of primates. It is a diverse discipline and researchers can be found in academic departments of anatomy, anthropology, biology, medicine, psychology, veterinary sciences and zoology, as well as in animal sanctuaries, biomedical research facilities, museums and zoos...
. He is currently a professor in the Department of Anthropology at University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, as well as the director for their Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts.
Work
One of Dr. Fuentes' major impacts on the field of primatology has been his work on human and non-human primate interactions. He has worked extensively with populations of macaques in Bali and GibraltarGibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, where the monkeys are a large tourist attraction, focusing on the spread of diseases between humans and macaques.
He has also done extensive work in the area of human social evolution, particularly relating to the neurological aspects. Dr. Fuentes believes that increased social complexity was necessary for our interaction with the environment and within our own social groups. It is this increased complexity along with primate biology and a changing environment that he believes is responsible for the success of humans in terms of expansion beyond the limits of most animal species.
Books
- C. Campbell, A. Fuentes, K. MacKinnon, S. Bearder, R. Stumpf P. Dolhinow, A. Fuentes, eds. 2010. The Nonhuman Primates. 2d ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-539043-8
- A. Fuentes. 2008. Evolution of Human Behavior. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-533358-6
- C. Panter-Brick, A. Fuentes, eds. 2008. Health, Risk and Adversity. New York/Oxford: Berghahn Books ISBN 978-1-84545-455-5
- A. Fuentes. 2006. Core Concepts in Biological Anthropology. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-7674-2426-4
- A. Fuentes, L.D. Wolfe. 2002. Primates Face to Face: The Conservation Implications of Human-nonhuman Primate Interconnections. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-79109-0
- P. Dolhinow, A. Fuentes. 1999. The Nonhuman Primates. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 1-55934-974-3
Articles
- A. Fuentes, S. Kalchik, L. Gettler, A. Kwiatt, M. Konecki, L. Jones-Engel. 2008. Characterizing Human–Macaque Interactions in Singapore. American Journal of Primatology 70 (9):879-883.
- D.L. Cohn, V. Smith, M. Pizarro, L. Jones-Engel, G. Engel, A. Fuentes, E. Shaw, J. Cortes. Pediculosis in Macaca sylvanus of Gibraltar. Veterinary Parasitology 145 (1/2):116-119.
- A. Fuentes. 2006. Human Culture and Monkey Behavior: Assessing the Contexts of Potential Pathogen Transmission between Macaques and Humans. American Journal of Primatology 68 (9):880-896.
- A. Fuentes. 2004. It's Not All Sex and Violence: Integrated Anthropology and the Role of Cooperation and Social Complexity in Human Evolution. American Anthropologist 106 (4):710-718.