Against Better Judgment – review
Anthropologists have often explained human behaviour as though people predictably act in their own interests. But in Against Better Judgment, Patrick McKearney and Nicholas H. A. Evans compile researc…
Anthropologists have often explained human behaviour as though people predictably act in their own interests. But in Against Better Judgment, Patrick McKearney and Nicholas H. A. Evans compile researc…
In Long Live Queer Nightlife, Amin Ghaziani charts the transformation of LGBTQ+ nightlife in recent decades amid venue closures and gentrification, focusing on London. Through a blend of personal anec…
In Fugitive Feminism, Akwugo Emejulu probes the concept of humanity through the lens of Black feminist thought (particularly Audre Lorde) and reveals its intrinsic exclusions and biases. Deftly intert…
In Refugee Voices, Rob Sharp explores how refugees in the UK use creative media to express themselves and their experiences. Through detailed fieldwork in Cardiff and Tyneside, Sharp’s nuanced…
In The Incarcerations, Alpa Shah unpacks the plight of the Bhima Koregaon-16, a group of human rights defenders who were imprisoned without trial for an alleged plot against…
In Fluke, Brian Klaas explores the phenomenon of chance, examining how seemingly random happenings and actions can profoundly shape our lives. Klaas skilfully interweaves different perspectives – from…
Dan Evans’s A Nation of Shopkeepers explores the growth of the “petty bourgeoisie” in the UK following Thatcherism, as the rise of home ownership, small landlordism and changes to the…
In The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule, Angela Saini explores the origins of patriarchy, debunking biological determinism and highlighting the role of nation building, social norms, and…
The Culture Trap by Derron Wallace compares the academic experiences of second-generation Black Caribbean youth in New York City and London, arguing that “ethnic expectations” shape studen…
Ways of Being. Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for a Planetary Intelligence , by James Bridle (Penguin Books, 2023) If you read the cover of James Bridle’s book,…
In The Front Room, Michael McMillan examines the significance of domestic spaces in creating a sense of belonging for Caribbean migrants in the UK. Delving into themes of resistance…
Weber, Karl, ed. (2023) Food, Inc.2. Inside the Quest for a Better Future for Food. NY: Hachette Book Group-Public Affairs. ISBN: 9781541703575. 336 pages. Ellen Messer Cover design…
Harris, Will (2023) A Bold Return to Giving a Damn. One Farm, Six Generations, and the Future of Food. With Amely Greeven. Viking. ISBN 9780593300473. 304 pages. Ellen Messer…
Fabian Broeker‘s Love and Technology: An Ethnography of Dating App Users in Berlin explores how dating apps mediate intimacy among young Berliners. Presenting an immersive ethnography of app usa…
Food – Media – Senses: Interdisciplinary Approaches. Christina Bartz, Jens Ruchatz, and Eva Wattolik (editors). Transcript, 2023. 330 pps. ISBN: 978-3-8376-6479-9 Emily Contois (University of …
Jane preparing a cake with her son at home, Scotland (photo: Imogen Bevan) Bittersweet: Living with sugar and kin in contemporary Scotland. Imogen Bevan. PhD in Social Anthropology,…
Caty Borum‘s The Revolution Will Be Hilarious: Comedy for Social Change and Civic Power considers how comedy intersects with activism and drives social change. Borum’s accessible text draw…
In Contesting Moralities: Roma Identities, State and Kinship, Iliana Sarafian challenges established scholarly practices that attempt to define Romani identity, instead exploring how individuals navig…
In Sexuality and the Rise of China, sociologist Travis Kong examines the experiences of post-1990s gay men in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Through interviews and historical analysis,…
Natsuko Tsujimura. Food, Language, and Society: Communication in Japanese Foodways. Lexington Books. New York. 2023. ISBN: 9781498571333. pp. 287. Richard Zimmer (Sonoma State Universi…
In Reconciliation by Stealth: How People Talk about War Crimes, Denisa Kostovicova considers how best to achieve reconciliation in post-conflict societies, focusing on case studies from the Balkan…
In Care Without Pathology: How Trans- Health Activists Are Changing Medicine, Christoph Hanssmann explores the evolution of trans therapeutics and health activism through ethnographic fieldwork conduc…
In Understanding Humans: How Social Science Can Help Solve Our Problems, David Edmonds curates a selection of interviews with social science researchers covering the breadth of human life and society,…
In A Theory of Everyone: Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going, Michael Muthukrishna contends that the core issue affecting Western societies is increasing energy…