The not-so-natural beach
Image 1: Groin in Oceanside California, built in 1961. Photo: Ryan Anderson, 2019. Growing up, I always imagined the beach to be a natural place. I think it’s…
Author: Ryan
Accumulation by media saturation
Palapa-lined beach on the East Cape of BCS, Mexico. Photo: Ryan Anderson, 2012. Recently, I was at the doctor’s office (I’m fine, thanks) and I started sifting through…
Anthropology, Interrupted: Thank you, Vine Deloria
I was first introduced to anthropology at community college. It was…eye opening. Anthropology challenged the insufficient, limited political and historical education I’d received up through high…
All the value that washes into the sea
Failing seawall trying to prevent land (and value) from washing into the sea. Baja California Sur, Mexico, 2012. Photo: Ryan Anderson. In August of this year, the Washington…
Repeat photography & coastal change: From notes and ideas to research method
Image 1: Storm battering the coast of Cabo Pulmo, 10:38 am on September 3, 2012. You never know when or how new research will begin. Let alone how…
Open Access, Apathy & Cowardice in academic publishing: An interview w/ Taylor R. Genovese
In the previous iteration of this site, I talked a lot about Open Access. The trend continues. For some background, check out this 2009 interview with Colleen Morgan,…
About those Ancestry dot com commercials
In the fall 2017 quarter I kicked off my intro to cultural anthropology course with one of those Ancestry dot com videos. These are all over the place,…
About that takedown notice from the AAA
Here we go again. If you’re a member of the American Anthropological Association, you should have received an email this past week (10/17) about avoiding copyright infringement. The…
About that takedown notice from the AAA
Here we go again. If you’re a member of the American Anthropological Association, you should have received an email this past week (10/17) about avoiding copyright infringement. The…
Surfing vs. the commodification of everything
Tom Curren, logo-free, 1991. Photography by Tom Servais. Do you ever think about the first time a concept really stuck for you? Not the first time you heard…
Anthropology in an Age of ‘Dangerous Nonsense’ (Part 1)
In the waning moments of 2016, one man, armed with an AR-15 and “information” about a conspiracy related to Hilary Clinton, walked into a DC pizza parlor hell…
This week in anthropological rebuttals to Charles Murray
Just when you think that The Bell Curve has been thoroughly debunked, it rears its ugly head…again. It’s like a weed that just won’t go away–and that should…
Kendzior: In Defense of Complaining
This was meant to be a book review. Instead, it’s an essay about the power—and importance—of complaining.[1] The book under consideration here is Sarah Kendzior’s The View from…
Reader Letters #2: Trump Edition
Here’s the second round of Savage Minds Reader Letters! We asked our readers to share their thoughts about anthropology in the Trump era for this round, and we…
The Resonance of Earth, Other Worlds, and Exoplanets
How do planetary scientists understand distant places like Mars or planets orbiting another star? A conversation with Lisa Messeri about “resonance” and the anthropology of space. By Michael…
Beast of Contention: The Polar Bear as National Symbol and Emblem of Conservation
Invited post by Michael Engelhard* The Icelandic artist Bjargey Ólafsdóttir painted this outline on Langjökull Glacier to draw attention to activists’ demands to reduce the amount of CO2…
SocArXiv launched
Michael Oman-Reagan just reminded me about an important open access project that’s been in the works for a while now: SocArXiv (thanks @OmanReagan!). I believe @socarxiv has the…
Call for Reader Letters: Trump & Anthropology (DUE 2/20/17)
In December we published our first installment of our new Reader Letters series. This time around, we’d like to hear what you, our readers, have to say about…
Amazon Go and the Erosion of Supermarket Sociability
Invited post by: Sally A. Applin (@AnthroPunk on Twitter)[1] I recently finished my Ph.D. As a present, a friend of mine gave me a hand. Not help, which…
Amazon Go and the Erosion of Supermarket Sociability
Invited post by: Sally A. Applin (@AnthroPunk on Twitter)[1] I recently finished my Ph.D. As a present, a friend of mine gave me a hand. Not help, which…
Reader Letters #2: Call for Submissions (Due 12/20/16)
A few weeks ago we published our first installment of our new Reader Letters series. We want to hear more. Send us your letters! Please keep the following…
Of Quinoa, Agricultural Science, and Social Change
This entry is part 10 of 10 in the Anthropologies #22 series. Adam Gamwell rounds out the anthropologies #22 issue on food. Gamwell is a public anthropologist and…
Reader Letters #1: Post-election edition
Last week we put out a call for letters from our readers. Here’s our first installment. If you’re interested in submitting a letter to Savage Minds, please keep…
The social role of anthropology’s racist uncle
There’s a certain trope that has been going around for years, and it has hit a peak these days as many people express their collective shock and surprise…