Census Data and the Social Construction of Race
Since Franz Boas, anthropologists have argued that race is not a biological but a social fact that varies across time and place. Using the US Census, Vox underscores…
Since Franz Boas, anthropologists have argued that race is not a biological but a social fact that varies across time and place. Using the US Census, Vox underscores…
Anthropology is a discipline that was born out of colonial encounters and systems of power. Anthropologists have historically been complicit in supporting the people, systems and ideas through…
When the picture of Alan Kurdi’s drowned body first hit the headlines, it was instantly iconic. For many, the simple horror of the image suddenly made the refugee…
1. To what extent does the notion of political agency help to understand political change? First of all, I think you need to change the wording of the…
In the wake of several brutal and unwarranted police shootings of black men and women, and the subsequent retaliation against innocent police officers, politicians across the country have…
While many people get caught up in the nationalistic pageantry of the opening ceremony, the reality of the international sports world today is one of increasingly fluid citizenship…
Last May, an international workshop entitled Rethinking political agency in the Middle East: Engaging political anthropology took place in Fiesole at the European University Institute. We published b…
Offensive and bombastic rhetoric is key to Donald Trump’s campaign. Why are voters drawn to this taboo-violating candidate? Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Associated Press Donald Trump is the …
Representation — the images and language we use to describe our social worlds — matters. “Discovery, settlement or invasion? The power of language in historical narratives” (2016, The Conversat…
Burundian soldiers patrolling the streets of Bujumbura. Photo by the author The car stops and the driver turns off the ignition and leans back in the seat. Before…
If you are working in academia, this post is for you. Ellie Adekur has created this important resource on How To Support Blacademics: For Non-Black Faculty and Grad…
On the morning of 24th June I had what I have since learnt to be a common experience. I lay in bed in conscious abeyance; Schrodinger’s Brexit: ‘If…
In June, decades of long-simmering tensions erupted when a majority of the British electorate voted for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. Now what? Diamond Geezer/Flickr…
Ten years ago, before I started doing research in France, I wrote my MA thesis about the politics of “bad writing” in the American humanities. Empirically, my major…
In this post, Heather Mendick argues that some calls for slowing down scholarship mask a conservative politics. Last July I blogged about how, despite my love for online communication,…
This year the Marx Trot is planned for August 14, 2016 Meet 1pm Archway Tube. bring enthusiasm, vox pop speechifying, money for drinks, drinks, sunscreen (we hope we…
One of the common claims made about social media is that it has facilitated a new form of political intervention aligned with the practices and inclinations of the…
This past weekend, Orlando, Florida witnessed the worst mass shooting in America’s recent history. This violent, planned attack in a public place is tragic, and our hearts go out…
Elizabeth Redden reported today about the American Anthropological Association’s close vote against a resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions. She writes:A total of 2,423 AAA members voted …
This new title from Amitav Ghosh, one the world’s finest literary minds looks very interesting. More at U Chicago Press here. I’ve put a series of four lectures…
The relationship between Western science (scientists, government officials, etc.) and Aboriginal knowledge has often been rocky, with Westerners often only acknowledging the value of local indigenous …
Many people probably saw the news that Facebook allegedly privileges left-leaning stories in its trending news section, a story broken by Gizmodo at the beginning of this month.…
As many of my readers probably know, the big controversy in my field this year (in American cultural anthropology) has been about a proposed boycott of Israeli academic institutions, essentially…
Two recent articles by BDS leaders in anthropology have accused boycott opponents of debasing the debate in anthropology, either by playing the “Nazi card” or by introducing the…