Cannibalism has long disgusted, scared, and fascinated us. Did you know it was practiced in Europe in systematic ways late into the 1800s or that there are human groups that until very recently treated it as the ultimate expression of compassion and love, and an essential part of a dignified human life? Beth Conklin, a Vanderbilt University anthropology professor and world expert on cannibalism and other cultural practices that involve close contact with corpses, will deliver a thrilling public lecture on these and related topics Thursday, March 6.