A liturgy for animals as seen through the eyes of a character with long ears
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:…
Tag: christmas
Scary Christmas
In the spirit of “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993) and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” (Book by Dr. Seuss, 1957 and TV Special 1966)… I call…
Easter gardens and Christmas trees
By Fridus Steijlen – When I arrived in mid-January in Ambon for my second year at Pattimura University I saw Christmas and New Year decor on the streets,…
Happy Holidays! from「VAoJ」
No product endorsements intended. Mugi-chan appears courtesy of Gonzo Anthropology Productions.
Gifts are a traditional part of Christmas – but why do we give presents at all?
The Gift, written by Marcel Mauss in 1925, explores why we exchange things and the social rules we follow – and might help explain why gift-giving can be…
Gifts are a traditional part of Christmas – but why do we give presents at all?
The Gift, written by Marcel Mauss in 1925, explores why we exchange things and the social rules we follow – and might help explain why gift-giving can be…
A Christmas Anth(rop)ology
For this week’s blog, we decided to each write some thoughts on Christmas, from varied anthropological perspectives. We come at this from the position of people who were…
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.…
Santa’s Capitalist Alchemy
The anthropology and myth-making of Santa… Now this might upset you. It might even provoke memories of Scrooge himself. But the gold standard of social science research states,…