Why Targeting Heritage Is a Crime Against Humanity
“A barbarian is someone who looks at culture and finds no beauty at all. A barbarian looks at a mosque or a burial mound, and dreams only of…
Tag: Culture
Naked Anthropologist News for Radio Ava: Jan 2020
Since last spring I’ve been providing Naked Anthropologist News to Radio Ava, a sexworker project in London. Something between tweeting and blogging, these news-bits are meant to be…
The Gift of a Bicultural Upbringing
The author, Sandhya Fuchs (center, at age 6) spent much of her young life in India, where Bharti (left) and Aarti (right) became like sisters to her. Today…
Science as an Orientalizing Field
Science is a Western form of knowledge production and can be divided into three forms: 1) science as a set of methods for investigating the world we inhabit,…
Christmas in the unexciting brothel
Edvard Munch painted Christmas in the Brothel in 1905, and every year I feel the same fondness for it. I don’t pay much attention to the ceremonies of…
Why Winter Solstice Celebrations Persist
The El Castillo step pyramid (center) is part of the Chichén Itzá archaeological site in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Steve Elmore/Getty Images At the ancient Maya-Toltec ceremonial comple…
#events: Let’s Get Geographical!
They say ‘the early bird catches the worm’. Would you like to catch that worm? Or, perhaps, that worm isn’t so enticing! How about a short course on…
What Does It Mean to be Human? Your Questions, Answered
[no-caption] Marcel Hirshegger/SAPIENS In this season 2 finale of the SAPIENS podcast, hosts Jen Shannon, Chip Colwell, and Esteban Gómez field questions from listeners on Twitter and at…
When Harmony Silences Resistance
Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong hold up their hands to represent their five demands for the city’s government. Vivek Prakash/Getty Images Since Samuel (a pseudonym) started marching…
Does Generosity Come Naturally?
[no-caption] Marcel Hirshegger/SAPIENS When anthropologist Cathryn Townsend headed into the field in 2009 to study generosity, she knew the project was for her. That’s because she was the…
How Belonging Shapes the Vaccination Crisis
[no-caption] Marcel Hirshegger/SAPIENS Anthropologist Elisa Sobo never wanted to study the issue of vaccination. The topic was too fraught, she says, and she didn’t want to touch it…
Haiti’s Blackouts Are Both Electrical and Emotional
On September 25, a girl in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, watches as protesters denounce fuel shortages and demand the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse. Chandan Khanna/Getty Images For the …
The Deep Roots of Navajo Country Music
[no-caption] Marcel Hirshegger/SAPIENS What is it about certain musical traditions that cause them to take root in communities far away from where they originated? Anthropologist Kristina…
Are Colors Universal?
[no-caption] Marcel Hirshegger/SAPIENS Remember the meme #TheDress? Was it white and gold, or blue and black? With the help of Nicola Jones, a freelance science journalist who writes…
Sweating Through a Gym’s Gender Barriers
For women, powerlifting gyms can be hostile territories. Westend61/Getty Images As I walk into the gym, my nostrils flare at the smell of sweat and old iron. My…
Agricultores Americanos “Made in Brazil”
O Brasil é o segundo maior produtor mundial de soja. Diego Giudice/Getty Images Leia este artigo em espanhol ou inglês. Nos arredores da cidade de Luís Eduardo Magalhães,…
Agricultores Estadounidenses “Made in Brazil”
Brasil es el segundo mayor productor de soya a nivel mundial. Diego Giudice/Getty Images Lea este artículo en inglés o portugués. En las afueras de la ciudad de…
Are Mixed-Income Neighborhoods the Best Answer for Public Housing?
The Plan for Transformation brought new mixed-income developments to Chicago, such as those shown here, as a novel solution to public housing. Elizabeth Svoboda When Juanita Stevenson mov…
Do You Dream What I Dream?
Anthropologist Roger Lohmann sees a ghost in a dream while working in Papua New Guinea. Even though he knows it’s just a dream, he’s scared long after he…
Dos veces víctimas: mujeres negras agredidas no se les reconoce como víctimas
Mujeres activistas, incluida la autora (derecha), marchan en contra de la violencia de género y feminicidios en Lima, Perú, en noviembre de 2016. Fotoholica Press/Getty Images Clara* colg…
The Anthropologists Who Undid Sex, Race, and Gender
Anthropologist Margaret Mead—a museum curator, a professor, a popular commentator, and an author, among other roles—was perhaps the most famous student of Franz Boas. Bettmann /Getty Images …
The Liminality of Grief in Trauma
As time continues to press forward after the April 30 shooting at UNCC, I have continued to reflect, think about my experience, and discuss the experiences with others…
Why Are People Who Use Illegal Drugs Demonized?
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs has targeted alleged drug dealers, such as this 18-year-old man, and left thousands of suspects dead. Noel Celis/Getty Images “It’s our…