Taking up Space
Nine years ago when I started my doctoral studies not only was I in a fertile intellectual endeavour undertaking fieldwork, reading theory, stretching my brain and writing,…
Tag: ACADEMIA
University Destruction INC! RIP University of Helsinki
Today is a black day in the ongoing the destruction of Finnish universities, particularly the University of Helsinki! Under the the pretence of austerity the University will be…
Academia: It’s like Game of Thrones, except there’s no throne
I’m giving season 6 of Game of Thrones as pass because, frankly, I don’t enjoy watching people be cruel to each other the way I used to. And yet in…
If I was going to be interviewed about blogging by The Geek Anthropologist: 15 questions
(… this is very informal…) Why do I blog? When you work outside academia and you’re not actively researching you still want to write, you still want…
Celebrating Allies – part 4: “Looking text straight in the face”
To conclude this week we wish to highlight the hard work of one more Allie – namely Marie-Louise Karttunen. She has been with us since the beginning, offering…
Celebrating Allies – part 3: Are you looking for a ghostwriter? REDUX
Today we continue to celebrate the Allies who handle so much of behind-the-scenes work that is needed to keep fan-bu-tastic (=fabulous meets fantastic) content appearing on our beloved…
For anthropologists, is interdisciplinarity ever truly a meeting of equals?
I recently read a Twitter post which asserted that interdisciplinarity was never a meeting of equals. As an anthropologist working outside of an academic department I met this…
Don’t panic: the smart city is here!
Ding Wang, in her own words, ‘has a special interest in pursuing degrees whose names consist of two random words’ (specifically Tourism Management, Design Ethnography, and now Dig…
REDUX: From Crisis to the University of Utopia aka MURI!
We conclude this dark thematic week on University Crisis with our insistence to be also ‘tongue in cheek’. We remind both ourselves and others: when policy making is…
Everybody’s an Ethnographer!
Dhruv Sharma has a background in anthropology, has worked in various countries as an ethnographer, and also holds a master’s degree in design ethnography from Dundee University. His doctoral …
REDUX: The Neoliberal Race to the Bottom Affects Us All!* #UniversityCrisis
Over the last years academics from different disciplines have become increasingly visible on popular and social media, narrating personal stories and reflecting on the growing casualization of academi…
What’s the matter with Ethnography?
Robert Potts is a filmmaker, lecturer, designer, and PhD candidate at the HighWire Centre for Doctoral Training who takes special interest in a diverse range of subjects including shared narr…
REDUX: Bourgeois Knowledge #UniversityCrisis
Young man: Hey, what’s he talking about? Old man: The professor is discussing ideas of justice and humanity in the philosophy of Plato. Young man: Plato? Old man:…
What happens in Turkey?
On January 19 we posted on our website this petition as a form of support to Turkish academics. We have then asked a Turkish scholar – who prefers…
Defending Anthropology 101 and the Mega-Class: Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century
On 4-5 February 2016, honored to participate in several sessions around the theme “Defending Anthropology 101 and the Mega-Class: Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century.” The idea of…
What on Earth is Post Disciplinary Ethnography?
This post is part of the Post Disciplinary Ethnography Edition. ‘Jargon free’ text is the name of the game according to the Ethnography Matters style guide, so titling…
Support Academics for Peace! Sign the Petition!
Recently, a petition written by Turkish academics has circulated online, demanding an end to the Turkish government’s attacks on the Kurdish provinces of the country. Since the website…
Picture of a House – toward the ethnography of the academia
There was a time when universities were modelled after churches. Today their designs echo temples of different kinds – namely corporate headquarters. In light of what is going…
Anonymous Reviewer – we need to talk! #rejection
A while back I experienced bitter disappointment as yet another funding application was rejected. The fact that I was only one of thousands of disappointed applicants did little…
Anthropologist in the Cane
A great of Caribbean anthropology, Professor Sidney Mintz has passed away… Last week one of the greats of North American anthropology, Prof Sidney Mintz, passed away. Mintz was…
Anthropologist in the Cane
A great of Caribbean anthropology, Professor Sidney Mintz has passed away… Last week one of the greats of North American anthropology, Prof Sidney Mintz, passed away. Mintz was…
Anthropologist in the Cane
A great of Caribbean anthropology, Professor Sidney Mintz has passed away… Last week one of the greats of North American anthropology, Prof Sidney Mintz, passed away. Mintz was…
In Memoriam, Sidney Mintz, 1922-2015
Professor Sidney Wilfred Mintz, affectionately known as “Sid,” passed away on December 26, 2015. In a first and now widely-shared post, Elizabeth Dunn succinctly conveyed the thoughts of…
An open letter to Prime Minister Turnbull: What would research and work look like if I was in charge?
Dear Mr Turnbull, If I was in charge of research I would always include children on the research team. Instead of talking about fresh perspectives, I would build…