Life course approaches and life history theory

Abstract

Life course approaches, and to a lesser degree life history theory, have received considerable attention in bioarchaeology over the past decade. Many studies addressing these frameworks revolve around osteobiographies and reconstructions of individual lifespans, investigations of long-term effects of early life experiences, and explorations of life-stage transitions. The main arguments from each of these applications include the observation that events can be linked throughout lifespans and that individuals at a given age are the product of their previous social and biological experiences, which provide interesting research questions for many bioarchaeological contexts. However, these applications could also benefit from a more in-depth engagement with life course approaches from the social sciences or life history theory from biology, including their main arguments, ongoing development, and key limitations. Notably, a better engagement with agency, interactions between individuals and their societies, and social determinants of health would benefit the current applications of life course approaches in bioarchaeology. Further, integrating identity into studies of the long-term effects of early life stress might be an informative way to bridge life course approaches and life history theory in attempts to understand cumulative factors affecting adult health in the past.