Kenneth Feder

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Kenneth Feder
State University of New York at Stony Brook (BS), University of Connecticut (PhD in Anthropology)
Known forAuthor, Fellow of Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
Scientific career
Fieldsarchaeology, anthropology

Kenneth L. "Kenny" Feder (born August 1, 1952) is an

Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology.[3] His book Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology: From Atlantis to the Walam Olum was published in 2010. His book Ancient America: Fifty Archaeological Sites to See for Yourself was published in 2017. He is the founder and director of the Farmington River Archaeological Project.[4]

Early life

Feder was very interested in

Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology.[6]

Ken Feder recovering the tip of a stone spearpoint at a 1,000-year-old archaeological site in West Simsbury, Connecticut.

Career

Feder is the founder and director of the Farmington River Archaeological Project which studies the prehistory of the region in northwest Connecticut.[3]

He gained his Bachelor of Arts in

State University of New York at Stony Brook, his Master of Arts in anthropology from the University of Connecticut in 1975 and his PhD in anthropology in 1982.[3]

In 1993, Feder published an account of his archaeological investigation into a 19th-century historical site in Barkhamsted, Connecticut entitled A Village of Outcasts: Historical Archaeology and Documentary Research at the Lighthouse Site, in which he detailed a case study of a group of Native Americans, emancipated African-American slaves, and European settlers who formed a settlement that lasted from 1740 to 1860.[7] In a review of Feder's book in American Anthropologist, Boston University's Mary Beaudry praised Feder's writing and efforts to draw attention to the settlement and "to turn [its] site report into a work of wider relevance," but also criticized the work, suggesting that "problems ensue from the perspective prehistorians often bring to historical sites," and suggesting that the field methods used in Feder's study lack the modernity of contemporary archaeological methods.[8] Feder's concentration on the narrative of the story reconstructed by the evidence he examined at the Barkhamsted Lighthouse community site was a key aspect of his interest; of the study, Feder has stated, "That's the coolest lesson for me about the lighthouse—it's also a story about how our country is made up of not only these famous folks we always read about, but about ordinary people who do these extraordinary things living in extraordinary circumstances."[9]

Feder's latest book is called Ancient America: Fifty Archaeological Sites to See for Yourself,[10] based on his odyssey across the U.S. visiting all of those fifty sites. "These are places where anybody, you don’t have to be an [a]rchaeologist, can go and respond, 'Wow! That’s really impressive, that’s gorgeous, that’s all mysterious and then talk about this is what it means, this is who built these things, this is how old these places are. So it’s kind of a travel guide/time travel guide, let’s call it that.'[11]

Sego Canyon
in Utah.

Skepticism

Feder appeared in the episode on ancient astronauts in the

Horizon discussing Atlantis and Caral. In 2004, he spoke at the World Skeptics Congress in Italy.[3] He is also a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), an international organization which promotes scientific inquiry.[12]

Feder's 1990 book

The Skeptical Inquirer, said of Feder's analysis, "While some of these (e.g., Piltdown Man) have been covered by many previous authors, few have tried to use the tools of modern scientific archaeology to show why probability is greatly against the authenticity of the particular claim," going on to state that Feder uncovers areas "not often examined critically in the popular literature."[13] Feder's work is used as a textbook in a number of undergraduate courses[14]
and is currently in its eighth edition.

In April 2001 Feder was consulted by a producer who was putting together a documentary about

Disney's, animated feature Atlantis: The Lost Empire that same year, and who was "looking for a reputable university anthropologist who was of the opinion that there is [a] historical and cultural connection between Atlantis and the native civilizations of the ancient New World."[6][15] Feder issued criticism of the documentary, which he stated was "packaging a television program to look like a science documentary that [...] amounted to an infomercial for a cartoon."[6][15] In the end, Feder did not contribute to the resulting documentary, Voyage to Atlantis: The Lost Empire, which aired June 10, 2001.[15][16]

Discussing the

Visočica is anything other than a natural formation. "It's all about physical evidence... ancient pyramids don't build themselves." Feder claimed that pseudoarcheologists lack the training to do a professional job evaluating items they may find.[17]

Feder's book Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology addresses popular myths, by attempting to provide easily understood explanations for why some inaccuracies are perpetuated.[18] In his book, Feder also attempts to delineate the differences between findings that are questionable from "outright frauds."[18]

Personal life

The Cardiff Giant is Feder's favorite archeological fraud.[6] Kenneth Feder lives in Connecticut with his wife, his cats, Sedona and Dodger, and other pets. He has two sons and two daughters.[19]

Arches National Monument
in Moab, Utah.

Books

References

  1. ^ "Central Connecticut State University, Department of Anthropology". guide.americananthro.org. American Anthropological Association. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  2. ^ "Oxford University Press: Linking to the Past: Kenneth L. Feder". Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d "World Skeptics Congress 2004: Kenneth Feder". CICAP. Retrieved July 29, 2009.
  4. ^ "Discovering Native American History on the Farmington River With Dr. Kenneth Feder – Monday 9/25/17". Farmington River Watershed Association - FRWA. August 31, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0-07-811697-1
    .
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum!". MonsterTalk. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  7. ISBN 978-1-55934-255-1
    .
  8. doi:10.1525/aa.1994.96.4.02a00730
    .
  9. ^ Miller, Robert (August 16, 2003). "Forest Lighthouse; Archaeology Gives Form to Tale of a Marginal Community; Researchers Pursue a Romantic Tale of Love and Escape". Hartford Courant.
  10. ^ Ancient-America-Fifty-Archaeological-Sites-to-See-for-Yourself. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Retrieved September 29, 2016. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  11. ^ "Ancient Alien Astronauts: Interview with Ken Feder". MonsterTalk podcast. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  12. ^ "CSI Fellows and Staff". Center for Inquiry. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  13. ^ Stein, Gordon (1990). "Mysteries, Myths, and Misconceptions — Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology by Kenneth L. Feder". The Skeptical Inquirer. 15 (1): 88–89.
  14. S2CID 20686614
  15. ^ a b c Feder, Kenneth (2002). "Atlantis in Fantasyland: A Mickey Mouse documentary about the lost continent". Skeptic. 9 (3): 11–12.
  16. ^ "Voyage to Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  17. Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
    . Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  18. ^ a b Wrinkle, Bobbie (January 2011). "Feder, Kenneth L.: Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology: From Atlantis to the Walam Olum". Library Journal. 129.
  19. ^ "Solving Mysteries". The Fifth World Skeptic Congress. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2013.

External links

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