James Aimers

Professor of Anthropology
Bailey 148
585-245-5276
aimers@geneseo.edu

Jim Aimers has been a member of the Geneseo faculty since 2008.

Portrait of Jim Aimers

Office Hours

Fall 2023 

Monday 8:00-9:00 am
Wednesday 8:00-10:00 am

Curriculum Vitae

Education

  • M.A Trent University, Peterborough ON.

  • Ph.D. Tulane University, New Orleans LA

Publications

  • 2020 Aimers, James J., Julie A. Hoggarth, and Jaime J. Awe
    Decoding the Archaeological Significance of Problematic Deposits in the Maya Lowlands. Ancient
    Mesoamerica 31:67-75.

  • 2020 Aimers, James J. and Jaime J. Awe
    The Long Goodbye: Problematic Pottery and Pilgrimage at Cahal Pech, Belize. Ancient
    Mesoamerica 31: 151-160.

  • 2018 Scott E. Simmons, Tracie Mayfield, James J. Aimers, and W. James Stemp The Maya of Ambergris Caye and their Neighbors. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 15: 329-339.

  • 2017 Aimers, J. Maya Migration Revisited. In Trading Spaces: The Archaeology of Migration, Interaction, and Exchange, edited by Margaret Patton and Jessica Manion, pp 8-18. University of Calgary, Calgary.

  • 2017 Aimers, James J., Kay McCarron, Scott Simmons, and Elizabeth Graham The Pottery of Marco Gonzalez, Belize. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 14: 363-372.

  • 2017 Awe, Jaime J., Julie A. Hogarth and James J. Aimers - Of Apples and Oranges: The Case of E-Groups and Eastern Triadic Architectural Assemblages in the Belize River Valley. In Early Maya E Groups, Solar Calendars, and the Role of Astronomy in the Rise of Lowland Maya Urbanism, edited by David A. Freidel, Arlen F. Chase, Anne Dowd, and Jerry Murdock, pp 412-449. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.

  • 2016 Aimers, James, Elizabeth Haussner, Dori Farthing, and Satoru Murata An Expedient Pottery Technology and Its Implications for Ancient Maya Trade and Interaction. In Perspectives on the Ancient Maya of Chetumal Bay, edited by Debra Walker, pp, 149-161. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.

  • 2015 Aimers, James, Elizabeth Haussner, and Dori Farthing The Ugly Duckling: Insights into Ancient Maya Commerce and Industry from Pottery Petrography. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 12: 89-95.

  • 2014 Aimers, J. Follow the Leader: Fine Orange Pottery Systems in the Maya Lowlands. In The Maya and Their Central American Neighbors: Settlement Patterns, Architecture, Hieroglyphic Texts, and Ceramics, edited by Geoffrey Braswell, pp. 308- 332. Routledge, New York.

  • 2014 Aimers, J. The Sexual Colonization of the Ancient Maya. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 11:155-162.

  • 2014 Aimers, J. and E. Graham Cacao, Coast, and Commerce: Continuity Through Change at Tipu, Belize. In Climates of Change: The Shifting Environments of Archaeology, edited C. Tremain, S. Lacey and M. Sawyer, pp. 181-202. Chacmool Archaeological Society, Calgary.

  • 2014 Aimers, J, and G. Iannone The Dynamics of Ancient Maya Developmental History. In The Great Maya Droughts in Cultural Context: Case Studies in Resilience and Vulnerability, edited by G. Iannone, pp. 21-50. University Press of Colorado, Boulder.

  • 2013 Aimers J. J., - La Belle Et La Bête: The Everyday Life of Ceramics at Lamanai, Belize. In Proceedings of the 13th European Maya Conference, Paris December 1-8 2008, Acta Mesoamericana Vol. 21, edited by P. Nondédéo and A. Breton. Verlag Anton Saurwein, Germany.

  • 2013 Aimers, J. J. Maya Pottery Production and Exchange: What We Think We Know and What We Wish We Knew. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 10: 221-228.

  • 2012 Aimers J. J., editor - Ancient Maya Pottery: Classification, Analysis, and Interpretation. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.

  • 2012 Aimers J. J. - Environment and Agency in the Ancient Maya Collapse. In Climates, Landscapes, and Civilizations, edited by L. Giosan, D. Q. Fuller, K. Nicoll, R. K. Flad and P. D. Clift, pp. 27-33. American Geophysical Union Monograph Series, Washington DC.

  • 2012 Aimers, J,. J., D. Farthing, and A. Shugar - Handheld XRF Analysis of Maya ceramics: A Pilot Study Presenting Issues Related to Quantification and Calibration. In Handheld XRF in Art and Archaeology, edited by A. Shugar and J. Mass, pp. 423-448 Leuven University Press ? Studies in Archaeological Sciences, Leuven, Belgium.

  • 2012 Aimers J. J., E. Graham, and J. Horowitz Close Encounters at the Mansion: The Columbian Exchange at Structure H12-08, Tipu, Belize. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 9: 141-148.

  • 2011 Aimers J. J. - Drought and the Maya. Nature 479: 44-45.

  • 2011 Aimers J. J. Report on the 2010 Ancient Maya Pottery Workshop. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 8: 267-273

  • 2011 Aimers J., J. Stemp, and J. Awe - Possible Functions of Grooved Ground Stones from Baking Pot, Belize. Lithic Technology 36(1): 5-26.

  • 2010 Aimers J. J., - Eating Incorrectly in Japan. In Adventures in Eating: Anthropologists Write About Food and Fieldwork, edited by Helen Haines and Clare Sammels, pp. 167-180. University of Texas Press, Austin.

  • 2010 Aimers, J.J.,- You Only Live Twice: The Agency of Ritual Ceramics at Lamanai. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 7: 119-126.

  • 2010 Aimers J. J. You Only Live Twice: The Agency of Ritual Ceramics at Lamanai. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 7: 119-126.

  • 2009 Aimers J. J.- Bring It On: Using Ceramic Systems at Lamanai. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 6: 245-252.

  • 2008 Aimers, J., and P. Rice - Astronomy, Ritual, and the Interpretation of Maya E-Group Architectural Assemblages. In Foundations of New World Cultural Astronomy, edited by Anthony Aveni, pp. 347-382. University Press of Colorado, Boulder.

  • 2008 Milbrath, S., J. Aimers, C. Peraza Lope, and L. Florey Folan - Effigy Censers of the Chen Mul Modeled Ceramic System and their Implications for Late Postclassic Maya Interregional Interaction. Mexicon 15(5):104-112.

  • 2007 Aimers J. J. - What Maya Collapse? Terminal Classic Variation in the Maya Lowlands. Journal of Archaeological Research 15(4): 329-377.

  • 2020 Aimers, James J.
    Queer New World: Challenging Heteronormativity in Archaeology. In An Open Invitation to
    LGBTQ Studies, edited by Deborah Amory and Sean Massey. State University of New York OER
    Services, Geneseo, NY. Beta (draft) version: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-lgbtq-studies/chapter/introducti…

  • 2020 Awe, Jaime J., Christophe Helmke, Julie A. Hoggarth, James J. Aimers, and W. James Stemp.
    Knocking on Heaven’s Door: Applying Regional, Contextual, Ethnohistoric and Ethnographic
    Approaches for Understanding the Significance of Peri-Abandonment Deposits in Western Belize.
    Ancient Mesoamerica 31(1): 109-126.

  • 2020 Awe, Jaime J., Julie A. Hoggarth, James J. Aimers, John Douglas, Claire E. Ebert, Christophe Helmke and W. James Stemp.
    The Last Hurrah: Examining the Nature of Peri-Abandonment Deposits and Activities at Cahal
    Pech, Belize. Ancient Mesoamerica 31: 175-187.

  • 2020 Kosakowsky, Laura J. Robin A. Robertson, Kerry L. Sagebiel, and James J. Aimers.
    Five Decades of Ceramic Research in Northern Belize. Research Reports in Belizean
    Archaeology 17: 17-32.

  • 2019 Aimers, James J., Jaime J. Awe, and Lisa J. Lecount -- A Contextual Analysis of Terminal Classic Pottery from Cahal Pech Belize. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 16: 133-141

Research Interests

  • Dr. Aimers conducts archaeological research on pottery at various sites in Belize, Central America and in his lab here at Geneseo.
  • Maya archaeology (architecture and pottery).
  • Method and theory in pottery analysis.
  • Theoretical approaches to the interpretation of art and material culture.
  • Gender and sexuality

Classes

  • ANTH 100: Intro to Cultural Anthropology

    This course has two broad aims. One is to introduce students to the field of cultural anthropology by paying close attention to what anthropologists do and how they do it. The other is to explore some of the ways in which people organize their lives and construct systems of meaning -- from kin relations and gender roles to economic systems and marriage patterns, religion and healing. In the process, we will be challenged to think about the value of cultural diversity in an increasingly interconnected world and to see ourselves from others' point of view.

  • ANTH 337: Art & Material Culture

    The things the people make and use, from fine art to consumer goods, provide valuable information on cultural ideas and practices. This course approaches art and material culture from an interdisciplinary perspective, across cultures and through time. Current theoretical approaches to art and material culture will be examined and applied to specific objects. Prerequisites: ANTH 100 or ANTH 101 or ANTH 110. Credits: 3(3-0) Offered spring, even years

  • HONR 203: Top:Sci& Pseudosci Archaelogy

    This seminar offers an introduction to a topic or set of topics of social relevance as addressed by the social sciences. Typical subtitles might be: Nature versus Nurture, Intepreting the Bell Curve, or The Trap of Poverty. As a core course, it should engage all students and will not assume any prior knowledge of the discipline(s) involved. As a seminar, the class will focus on a lively discussion and analysis of the issues. May be repeated more than once only with permission from director of the Honors Program. Prerequisites: HONR 202 or permission of program director. Offered once per year