Watching both ways
by Emma van der Tak – “I saw that you have written for newspapers before,” Albert remarks as the waitress puts down our coffee. While I did so…
by Emma van der Tak – “I saw that you have written for newspapers before,” Albert remarks as the waitress puts down our coffee. While I did so…
By Romy de Vos – “Look, a piece of slate from the roof,” I say to my hostess Iris*, as I hold out a thin plate of darkish-grey…
by Freek Colombijn and Marjo de Theije – Renowned anthropologist James (Jim) Ferguson passed away on 14 February 2025 at 65. He obtained his PhD in Social Anthropology…
By Emma Arnold – We always visit my father’s grave on important days—his birthday, Christmas, and my parents’ wedding anniversary. It is a ritual: my mother, sister, and…
By Maaike Matelski – This year marks the 15th anniversary of my first visit to Myanmar to do research on civil society under authoritarian rule. Since that time…
Door Ton Salman – Onlangs, op 25 november 2024, is in de Tweede Kamer een motie aangenomen waarin de regering wordt verzocht “om gegevens over culturele en religieuze…
door Wiebe de Jong – Ik wil u graag meenemen in een gedachte-experiment. U bent werkzaam binnen de palliatieve zorg of vrijwilliger met een andere baan ernaast –…
Door Ton Salman – Oudjaar…. En dan begint zomaar een heel nieuw jaar! Spiksplinternieuw! En we wensen elkaar geluk, en moois en gezondheid, en vrede. Da’s ons ritueel.…
By Peter Versteeg – This year, as Christmas approached, I felt a strong urge to visit a church. An advertisement in a vegan deli shop caught my eye:…
by Yannick van Druijten – When Matús first called Petržalka a ‘concrete jungle’, I laughed. At that moment I had not fully understood what he meant. Matús had…
By Thijl Sunier – Those who were in the Netherlands between 6-8 November could not possibly have missed it. Riots broke out around a football match between the…
By Freek Colombijn – “Yes, I fear tomorrow I’ll be crying, Crying, Crying!” (King Crimson, Epitaph, 1969) Thomas Hylland Eriksen, one of the greatest anthropologists of our time…
Door Luka Hendrickx. Begin september fiets ik voor het eerst sinds ik het veldwerk voor mijn scriptieonderzoek afrondde de Polder weer binnen. Daarmee wordt in België de streek…
By Santiago Camara – Anthropologists are frequently told that “everything is data”, even the lack of data can be used to create an argument or come to conclusions.…
By Anja Hofer – Bojan sits opposite me, playing nervously with his water bottle when he tells me: “Our son, Krastio, was in a bilingual daycare but he…
By Marina de Regt. On Thursday the 26th of September, my social media filled up with messages commemorating Yemen’s revolution of 1962. I read poems and short texts…
by Isa Prieto – I arrive at Chennai airport at 1 am. As soon as I step outside the airport, the humid air envelops me, and I immediately…
By Peter Versteeg – “It’s just a chemical reaction,” was the response of a fellow student, a psychologist. I had just presented my “spiritual biography,” a part of…
by Aleeha Ali – It is said that when Hussain’s infant son Ali Asghar was pierced with an arrow bigger than his frame, his neck gushed pools of…
by the SpW editors – What are we up to this Summer? Marina: I look forward to driving along rugged Scottish coasts, hiking in breathtaking landscapes, and staying…
by M. Amin Esmailzade – Video project in ‘Future Anthropology’. In Future Anthropology, third year bachelor students present their thesis research in a creative and accessible…
By Bariş Eser. Neither the student organizers nor the University of Amsterdam (UvA) Board of Directors (CvB) expected the outpouring of support upon the eviction of the first…
By Peter Versteeg – One day, we also took to the streets to protest against atrocities in a rather distant country We were only a few as nobody…
By Ekaterina Thor – The Russian border. Since most countries decided to close their borders and most airlines chose to pull out their offers, going to Russia and…