In recent weeks we’ve been posting about the use of anthropological tenets and ethnographic practices beyond traditional field sites. This topic was addressed from author Elizabeth Durham’s perspectiv…
Every year in recent memory, the opening of the annual Canadian Anthropology Society (CASCA) conference begins with an acknowledgement that the meetings are taking place on Indigenous territory.…
How does JC superstar reconcile this week? Is it that he is crafting soundbites for different audiences (or as preparation for conference did he finally read ch 25…
It’s once again time for us to help your eardrums get some anthropological loving in collaboration with our dear friends, New Books in Anthropology. Below you’ll find a…
Since I started teaching at Whittier, I’ve been thinking about how I like my students to address me. There’s something of a local norm of just calling everyone “Professor.” It …
Unsettled by Donald Trump’s bigotry and xenophobia, liberal pundits have struggled to understand his improbable anointment as the nominee of the Republican party. Many have sought answers in…
One of Charles Taylor’s best known and most eloquent defenders is John T. Richardson, a Liberian architect, who continues to speak with the former Liberian President two to…
Anthropoliteia (@anthropoliteia) is another great anthropology resource publishing in blog form, offering “critical perspectives on police, security, crime, law and punishment around the world.” One of…
This is one of the memes circulating among low income Brazilians in reference to the impeachment of President Dilma. The top comment says: “Gosh, is this true?” Below…
Thierno Hamidou Diallo, may he rest in peace, was fatally shot on August 16th, 2016. He is the tragic victim of the anti-government demonstration in the Guinean capital…
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…