Mess in the Middle East
Many people throughout the Western world do not understand what is happening in the Middle East. Much of the confusion stems from a misunderstanding of the complicated relations…
Tag: Social Cultural Anthropology
The Second American Revolution
Well, it only took about two-hundred and forty years but the greatest fear of the writers of the Constitution of the United States has taken place. A rich,…
Religion and Economy – Part Two
We need to understand better how we build the infrastructures of collective existence, money among them. How do meanings come to be shared and memory to transcend the…
Religion and Economy – Part One
Religion belongs to a set of terms that also includes art and science. Science began as a form of knowledge opposed to religious mysticism, but is now often…
Capitalism, revolution and racism in the US and the world
In the aftermath of Trump’s victory, we would do well to recall Hegel’s maxim that difference-in-sameness moves history. Max Weber used a similar argument to moderate the polarised…
Brexit: Where once was an empire
Separation from Europe has opened up the real possibility that the United Kingdom will break up. Scotland is already bent on secession and the two Irelands may resolve…
Measures of Quality Education
When I first came to Brazil, I quickly became aware of the problem in the educational system here. So, I began to collect statistics and study why the…
Why do Leaders Fail?
This is an opinion piece that some might say loosely fits within the realm of anthropology. And yet, if one could say that anthropology is the genealogy and…
Perennial Narratives in Anthropology
Since the 1960s, there has not been any new, innovative or groundbreaking advances in the field of anthropology. Although some good work has been done, most of it…
World’s Most Vital Resource
It is not necessary to explain the process by which algae through millions of years of geological time and chemical reactions become fossil fuels such as oil,…
The War Against Privacy
In the May-June 1993 issue of Wired Magazine, an article on a group of mathematicians advocating a radical, libertarian, cryptographic philosophy appeared on the front cover. The group…
Decline of Brazil’s Middle Class
Although he was a left-wing, socialist president for two consecutive terms, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva demonstrated that a left-wing administration…
Birth of the Pharmaceutical
In his highly original work, Birth of the Clinic, Foucault focuses his attention on the human experience and the rational for its continued homogenous reality. He discusses…
Changing Global Economies
For decades, investors in advanced economies (AEs) have shaped the evolution of global markets. Research shows that advanced economy investors tend to hold diversified…
Illegal Immigration: a global problem
People are migrating across the globe in unprecedented numbers. More than 200 million people are residing in countries other than their home countries. Further, that number represents a…
Origins and Scope of Thick Ethnography
Within a historical context, ethnography attempts to be holistic in nature based in part on emic views. It is written, observational science that provides an account of a…
Human Trafficking: a growing epidemic
Some sources claim that one out of every 236 people becomes a victim of human trafficking. Even more startling, sources state that every 30 seconds another person becomes…
Global Warming: trends and consequences
Recently, health officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a travel alert for Central, South America and the Caribbean, some 14 countries and territories exposed to…
Intricacies of Universal Health Care
What are some of the primary concerns of Universal Health and access to quality health care? Among researchers doing studies in this area, these concerns have raised new…
Expatriates: Dilemmas and Misconceptions
Those who have chosen to become permanent expatriates at some time or another experience a very disturbing and confusing dilemma. What makes this dilemma so disturbing is it…
Affirmative action in brazil: is it necessary?
Recently, I came across an article in Lasa Forum Spring 2013 edition in which Edward Telles and Marcelo Paixão assessed the significance of Affirmative Action in Brazil.…
Mandate of the Intellectual
Recently, a PhD educated, cultural researcher for a Canadian magazine contacted me about Perspectives’ focus on “open-access publishing, public accessibility and seeking a broad readership while maint…
Indispensability of medical anthropology
Medical anthropology, although considered a subcategory in anthropology, has been making contributions to medicine and public health since the development of anthropology itself. The fact that anthrop…
Black American Men and Brazilian Women
Any attempt to understand black American men and their relationships with Brazilian women must first consider cultural characteristics and the significance of social values. Now, we are…