Living longer- How long is too long?
Following a paradigm shift from infectious to chronic disease, life expectancy rose for individuals, currently at 78.8 years of age (U.S based). The article linked below addresses how the…
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Hindu Perspectives on Death: Karma and Its Implications
Hindu beliefs about death, specifically about karma, have always intrigued me. While I’m not religious, I’ve been exposed to Hindu beliefs my entire life, and examining them through…
Dreaming about World War Three
Talkin’ World War III Blues Bob Dylan One time ago a crazy dream came to me I dreamt I was walkin’ into World War Three I went to…
Welcome to the Authoritarian Kleptocracy Part VI
If you got the money, honey, they got your disease. My latest articles and interviews: Globe and Mail: Some call this America’s resistance. Really, we are helping each other…
Southern Foodways Alliance: 2017 Summer Oral History Workshop
An organization whose work I am enthusiastic about is the Southern Foodways Alliance. Here I share news of its next oral history workshop. I quote from the call…
Social learning in the Anthropocene: novel challenges, shadow networks, and ethical practices
My most recent article is now out at the Journal of Environmental Management. At least for a time, it is free to download by clicking here. The ideas…
Enterprising Opportunities: Responsibilising Ghana’s Poor
by Tim Perkin Agbogbloshie is an area of Accra, Ghana’s capital, which has become a graveyard for global electronic waste (e-waste). In light of its structural adjustment after…
Political Leaders’ Body on Display
In 2013, the body of Hugo Chavez, who is the former president of Venezuela from 1999 to 2013, was to be embalmed and kept in a crystal casket…
Grief: Ritual Finger Amputaion
The death of a loved one can be a traumatic experience and causes emotional pain and suffering. However, in some cultures the loss can result in physical pain…
Anthropology’s heterodoxy
“Flowers” by Claude Monet By Ton Salman In the following blog, Ton Salman reacts to Matthias Teeuwen’s contribution to Standplaats Wereld of 13-2-2017, titled “Is Anthrop…
Mild Apocalypse – Feral Landscapes in Denmark: Reflections on an Exhibition
By Nathalia S. Brichet, Frida Hastrup, and Felix Riede § From the late 1930s until 1970, low-grade brown coal was extracted at Søby in mainland Denmark. This activity carried out largely…
The Philippine mining clampdown that wasn´t
By Boris Verbrugge, Radbout Universiteit On February 2, 2017, Philippine Environment Secretary Gina Lopez, who has the full backing of the country’s controversial president Duterte, announced the clos…
Medical anthropologists in/of Aotearoa meet for launch and symposium
Sorry to miss what looks like a great symposium and launch of the new Society of Medical Anthropology in Aotearoa. SOMAA By Nayantara Sheoran Appleton. On Wednesday February…
Clarity in Dying
Katie Cooper There are just somethings that we do not like to talk about. Like how often you wear the same pair of socks, or how you take…
Managing cultural complexity, 3 options courtesy of Tom Friedman, Chance the Rapper, and Maggie Siff
(Originally published Feb. 16 on Medium) Tom Friedman was interviewed by Al Hunt on Charlie Rose Tuesday night. He was pitching his new book: Thank you for being…
“Revolutionary Egypt” Book Gets a Facebook Page
Its a book about the “Facebook revolution”, right? So it is only appropriate it finally gets its own Facebook page–concurrent with its coming out in paperback and as…
Overcoming the Fear of Death Psychedelically
Researchers at NYU and Johns Hopkins Universities have found that a single dose of the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, psilocybin, can diminish depression and anxiety related to…
Anthropology: A Love Story
Why do you anthropology? The AAA is getting an early start to this year’s Anthropology Day celebration by spending our Valentine’s Day reflecting on why we fell in…
Welcome to the Authoritarian Kleptocracy Part V
My latest articles and interviews: When Trudeau met Trump: Canadian exceptionalism, American envy (2/13/17) — Globe and Mail It’s already happened here (2/9/17) — The Baffler The Pre…
Tibetan Sky Burials
Sky burials (or celestial burials, as they are also called) are the burial rites of choice for the Tibetans. After a member of the community has died, the…
Dia de los Muertos- Celebrating the dead
Dia de los Muertos- Day of the dead Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a tradition and holiday that originates in Mexico, but is…
Head Transplants: the next medical feat?
The Idea Professor Sergio Canavero wants to be the first surgeon ever to perform a head transplant. He claims that this could happen within the next year and…
Rivers is Our Forgotten Founding Father
The true history of British social anthropology’s origins, seen through the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to the Torres strait (CAETS) [1] Three centuries of anthropology. Between evolution and…
What anthropologists really do
Two books published in 2002, The Best of Anthropology Today and Exotic No More, taken together, provide a chance to find out what anthropologists are up to these days. The…