The Sargassum Question
Close-up of sargasso, Puerto Morelos, 2019. Photo by the author. Sitting in her office, I could smell the sharp scent of hydrogen sulfide coming from the beach. She…
Tag: Uncategorized
Biophilia is real and may have saved our species
“In forty years of medical practice, I have found only two types of non-pharmaceutical ‘therapy’ to be vitally important for patients with chronic neurological diseases: music and gardens.…
Mangan
Auf dem Balkon in einem Hotel in der Minenstadt Chiatura. Es ist Frühstückszeit und ich zähle die Laster mit dem Mangan. Schwarzes Gestein, das aussieht wie nasse Holzkohle.…
Negotiating Ethical Technology Use: Trust and Care in End-of-Life Conversations
The video-screen carrying robot used by doctors to converse with patients. The headline on the local news station’s website was sensational: “Bereaved Family Upset Kaiser Used Robot…
Redskins Etc. as Racial Stereotypes
Native peoples of the America were thought of in early philosophy as being Red Indians, fitting perfectly into a color wheel of peoples of the earth, White people…
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…
Becoming an UrbanA Fellow
Are you passionate about sustainability and justice in #cities? Would you like to share your passion, knowledge and skills in a collaborative and creative way? [yes and yes…?!…
New website
I am in the process of moving all the material here to the new website albertoacerbi.github.io, made in RStudio with blogdown, using the Academic theme of Hugo. Have…
Choreographies of magic and mess: AusSTS in Melbourne and Darwin
As the presenter encouraged the academics in the room to consider what it means for nanotechnology to sell itself as ‘magic’, boots appeared outside the window behind him.…
Delaware Indian Dance Rattles Made of Coconuts
The sixth most popular post on this website is a small item called “Coconut Rattles in Florida and Oklahoma.” I have no idea why this should be true…
Battery Life: Charging Culture at the End of Energy
Vodka-tonic. Take my picture. Charge my phone. Vodka-tonic. Take my picture. Charge my phone. This (or a similar sequence) is an irritatingly common refrain heard by many waitstaff…
Death of the superhero?
Reading the future is hard. It takes sharp eyes. It takes lively imaginations. It takes smart models. (There is a “good head on your shoulders” joke to be…
An anthropologist’s guide to Chicago’s 75% off ebook sale
I love ebook sales. They’re a great way to pick up books you’ve always wanted but couldn’t afford. In fact, they’re a great, low-cost way to take a…
Uncovering Hidden HERstories of Women in the Digital Arts
Logo for the annual meeting of the computer graphics community, which includes academic, commercial and fine arts practitioners of computer graphics and interactive techniques, as well as hardware…
On Human Mating Habits: considering also the evidence of “introgression” between anatomically modern and archaic people.
Recently two aspects of our understanding of humanity appear to be converging. One is the study of human reproductive – especially “sexual” – behaviour, which has resulted in…
Blockchain Reactions: The peril and promise of techno-governance for stateless Rohingya
While Myanmar’s recent ethnic cleansing of its Rohingya minority, which saw 800,000 people driven into Bangladesh, has brought the community’s oppression to the world’s attention, it has also…
Christina Thompson on Prehistorians of the Pacific
My new episode of New Books in Anthropology is up — it’s an interview with Christina Thompson on her book The Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia. It’s…
Edward Westermarck on ‘English Conditions’
Today most anthropologists remember Edward Westermarck as one of Malinowski’s two main teachers at the London School of Economics. In fact, I think Malinowski owes a lot to…
I’m a podcast host! Go listen to David Varel on Allison Davis
I’m proud to announce that I’ve become one of the hosts for the New Book Network’s New Books in Anthropology podcast! In my inaugural episode, I talk with…
Chief Eagle Horse Baritone Singer from Alaska
Charlie Cutter, a student of Chemawa Indian school from about 1898 to 1902 was a noted baritone singer. Cutter was born in Shaken Alaska in1880 and had a…
Nice to know oder grenzüberschreitende Wissenschaft?
Ein selbstreflexiver Bericht eines interdisziplinären Versuchs Pascale Schild Mein Schatten und ich, Kirsten Schmiegelt, 2019 Ich bin Sozialanthropologin und betreibe Ethnografie und e…
Nice to know oder grenzüberschreitende Wissenschaft?
Ein selbstreflexiver Bericht eines interdisziplinären Versuchs Pascale Schild Ich bin Sozialanthropologin und betreibe Ethnografie und ethnografische Theorienbildung. Hierbei sind für mich – se…
George Washington’s Letter to the Jews
I recently returned from a trip to New England to visit the affines. While there, my children received a gift from one of the aunts — a printed…
A Year Without Flying
As teaching finishes, the last of the marking is done and the exam boards wrap for the year I have a bit of time to reflect back on…