The Irresponsible Neanderthal
An article grabbed my attention last year but it took a while for me to realize why. The title, “Neanderthals Self-Medicated for Pain” examined research findings analyzing Neanderthal…
Author: Carie Little Hersh
Wizards, Vampires, Klingons, and Other Alternative Cultures
On the last day of my introduction to anthropology class, we watch scenes from the documentary Trekkies. Students grin at the sincere folks dressed as Starfleet officers and…
An Anthropologist’s Obsession with Outlander
I have been on hiatus from blogging for some time, mainly due to two factors. First, I launched a public anthropology podcast, Anthropologist on the Street (huzzah!), which…
Every Day is Heterosexual Pride Day
Are you a heterosexual? Feeling discriminated against by a persecuted minority? Why can’t we celebrate what makes us common and powerful? Just because we’re not unique, it doesn’t…
For the Love of Us All, No More Deplorables, Snowflakes, or Nasty Women
8 Labels I Never Want to Hear Again There are several words that have gained in popularity over the last few years that I don’t ever want to…
Racial Purity is a Lie and Here’s Why
With the recent increase in folks’ throwing shade and swastikas on other people’s ethnicities, I thought I’d take a moment to remind us all that racial purity is…
Postmodernism Comes to America
Fake News and the End of Facts I recently had the pleasure (?) of engaging in a fruitless debate on social media with a friend of a friend.…
Casual Racism and the Problem of White Identity
A Family Portrait My family is super white. We love brunch at IKEA, we have varying relationships with rhythm, and we feel slightly guilty about everything. Aside from…
Casual Racism and the Problem of White Identity
A Family Portrait My family is super white. We love brunch at IKEA, we have varying relationships with rhythm, and we feel slightly guilty about everything. Aside from…
On the Backs of Other Mothers
I had no idea I was singing the saddest song about motherhood of all time. It all started when I became curious about a lullaby my grandmother used…
Of Fantasy and Daughters
I recently had the excellent fortune to guest blog on The Horn Book’s new venture: Family Reading about my love of reading fantasy, and sharing the books with my…
The relevANTH Guide to Choosing a Culturally Sensitive Halloween Costume
Just… no. It’s that time of year again, when millions of Americans hit the streets dressed as terrifying celebrities, food items, and ethically questionable depictions of others’ cul…
There was “no racism before Obama”. Wait, what now?
Welcome to the (sur)reality that is the American election of 2016. The latest in a series of Perplexing Statements that People Believe Despite Immeasurable Evidence to the Contrary…
When Nature Has to Conform to Culture: Highly Sensitive People in a Nonsensitive Culture
Elaine Aron’s book The Highly Sensitive Person was like my own personal Da Vinci Code—riveting, compelling, and totally solved a mystery about myself I didn’t know existed. My…
I Don’t Care What Your Beliefs about Racism Are
In the wake of several brutal and unwarranted police shootings of black men and women, and the subsequent retaliation against innocent police officers, politicians across the country have…
5 Homophobic Myths Destroyed by Anthropology
After the horrific mass murder in June focusing on the LGBTQ community at an Orlando club, the only thing worse than the massacre has been the thread of…
How Karl Marx Ruined My Dinner Party
At dinner one night, I made two fatal social errors in rapid succession. First, during casual conversation with two good friends, I began talking about American culture. Not…
Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and the Election Hunger Games
With Donald Trump defending the size of his hands, Ted Cruz dropping out of the race the week after recruiting former opponent Fiorina as a running mate, Hillary…
Stop Blaming Parents for Our Society’s Failures
Yet another parenting article popped up in my Facebook feed this week. Not a How-To parenting article, which is annoying enough, but a You’re-Doing-Everything-Wrong parenting article. Generation X’s…
The Hidden Cultural Values of Massholes and Y’all Qaeda
Y’all Qaeda may be the newest sarcastic term for the Oregon militiamen, but embedded in the critique of militiamen as terrorists akin to Al Qaeda and ISIS (another…
Surviving the Holidays, Anthropologist Style
As the holidays inch closer, and you’re beginning to dread joining the bag of mixed nuts you call your family, consider approaching them with anthropologists’ eyes this year.…
How creating your own ritual can bring surprisingly deep meaning
New Year’s Eve of 2007 was grim. My husband and I hosted a party of battered friends, most of whom were under the age of 35. Within the…
Your accent is we-ahd
I grew up a Navy brat, bouncing from coast to coast in the U.S. until the 11th grade, when I hunkered down in the South for more than…
So What Exactly is ANTHROPOLOGY?
I had no idea what anthropology was when I began college, I just knew I loved the course titles. “Language and Culture”. “Gender, Sex, and Sexuality”. “Religion and…