#cultural-anthropology — Public Fediverse posts

网络上对他人的道德审判，有时也是一种政治无力感的代偿：当人无法触及更大的权力结构，就会把仅有的支配感投向身边的人。反复凝视、归类和定性他人，正是微观权力的一种运作。
那个人上台后，加速创造了这种“找茬欲”，这改变了批判的风险结构。向上批判越来越危险，横向乃至向下审判却相对安全。
公共议题的空间显著收紧。人们尚且可以零散抱怨，却越来越难形成共同议题、组织行动或追问制度责任。
愤怒并没有消失，只是被导流了。
不能追究权力，就审判普通人的措辞、生活方式和道德瑕疵，通过举报、定性和围攻“不正确的人”，还能证明自己站在安全而正确的一边。
未必是所有人都变得更刻薄了，但温和、结构性的声音就是消失了，而忠诚表态、道德围猎和互相纠察则更容易留下来。
权力不只让人闭嘴，也规定愤怒可以往哪里流。一个不允许人们共同质询权力的社会，往往会生产大量彼此质询的个人。
这样的社会，确实很地狱。
#人类观察 #一点人类学笔记 #socialanthropology #culturalanthropology #anthropology

Look at how many times the heritage foundation ghouls use the word "natural" or "inherent" when describing some stuff about women: https://www.transiticsnews.com/p/after-pushing-anti-trans-laws-to

Ideas about what's "natural" (vs "cultural") are central to a lot of messed up ideologies. The idea that something is "natural" is used as a cudgel to keep people in line: "girls shouldn't play sports, it's not natural" or "it's only natural for people to want to marry within their race", or "it's unnatural to be gay", etc etc etc.

This is why disciplines like cultural anthropology are necessary. The research that comes out of these fields helps answer the question "is x *really* natural, or does it vary by culture?"

Sometimes I wonder: if I didn't receive so many messages growing up about such and such thing being natural or inevitable, would I have been as interested in studying cultural anthropology in college, and would I instead have gone for a more practical major? Who can say.

As things happened, I absolutely *needed* to learn whether I really was meant to be a dumb, weak babymaker.....or whether it's inevitable for a certain number of people in a society to go hungry or be without a home (the answer is "no" and "no").

I defer to actual cultural anthropologists on this, but if someone asked me "ok, so what actually *is* natural about humans? (Meaning: occurs in all or nearly all cultures)", I think there's very little. I think almost all (if not all-all societies) have humans living in groups ("social species"), using tools (just like many other non-human animals), using language, and telling stories. That's about it. Pretty much everything else varies. If there's an obvious one I've missed, please let me know.

So don't let bigots bully you by telling you this or that is "natural"! Nearly everything about how humans are varies by culture, and anyway, where is the experiment that involves culture-less humans (which might show us what "natural" humans are like)? And those instances of"wild" children don't count, because humans raised alone do *not* reflect any kind of "natural" conditions (because we evolved growing up in groups).

#CulturalAnthropology #bigotry #feminism #trans

"Because they are removed from their original contexts in time and space (which can never be recovered), and recontextualized in others, the meanings of material forms preserved in museums are problematic." Marilyn Strathern, "Learning to See in Melanesia"

https://haubooks.org/learning-to-see-in-melanesia/

#culturalanthropology
#ethnography
#museum
#STS

Most of what we know about dog cognition comes from Western pets. A new cross-cultural study across 5 societies found the human-dog bond looks surprisingly universal — but the exceptions reveal exactly how ecology shapes the relationship. #Dogs #Culture #CulturalAnthropology #Anthropology https://www.anthropology.net/p/what-hunting-dogs-in-vanuatu-and

Role of cultural anthropology in Ebola control

https://nowaraga.com/2026/06/12/role-of-cultural-anthropology-in-ebola-control/

Notes on #UAP Discussions : It's really difficult, if not impossible, for us to speculate regarding what the values of a culture thousands or perhaps millions of years in advance of our own, might be. We can only reference our current state of #Science, and maybe #CulturalAnthropology and #Evolution wrt to past history and contemporary ideals. Not so great if your trying to understand an intelligence that routinely transits #Interstellar distances. You need a plan, Not impulse driven nonsense

https://www.europesays.com/dk/44480/ Spirit Wolf welcomes customers | Daily Gate City – Keokuk, Iowa #CulturalAnthropology #culture #EthnicGroups #ethnicity #HumanPopulations #IndigenousPeoplesOfTheAmericas #LatinAmerica #Poland #Warsaw

https://www.europesays.com/dk/?p=44372 Spirit Wolf welcomes customers | Daily Gate City – Keokuk, Iowa #CulturalAnthropology #culture #EthnicGroups #ethnicity #HumanPopulations #IndigenousPeoplesOfTheAmericas #LatinAmerica #Poland #Warsaw

If you think of this as #BryceZabel and #BrentFriedman doing a bit of
#CulturalAnthropology wrt the subject then the idea of how attitudes can be shaped via all kinds of media comes into focus. We cannot ignore this because it gives us useful measure of gauging distance to truth as data turns into knowledge. We need to know these distances if people are going to trust that governance can correct itself in terms of dealing with any new reality

EP2 Mister Close Encounters
https://youtu.be/uCLfYRlTliw?si=jlk5S5Hp4k_Cdsfl

A new PhD programme “migration, time and urban inequalities” run by seven European universities (including @ruhr-uni-bochum.de) has 15 fully funded PhD positions open: https://www.migrationtime.eu/ #Sociology #CulturalAnthropology #SocialSciences #PoliticalScience

Completing a PhD while coordinating a graduate school is no easy task in itself. So I’m delighted to hear that my colleague Maren Jordan from @sfb1475 not only managed to achieve that, but that her dissertation “Temporalities of Reproduction: Fertility Transformations across Generations in the Sultanate of Oman” was also awarded the Frobenius Research Prize. Full statement here: https://idw-online.de/de/news860734 #CulturalAnthropology #Demographics

How God Becomes Real

https://library.hrmtc.com/2025/10/27/how-god-becomes-real/

#AnthropologyCulturalSocial #book #christianFaith #ChristianityGeneral #CulturalAnthropology #Devotional #faith #Foi #Nonfiction #religion #ReligiousFaith #review #ScienceTechnology #SocialScience #Spirituality #TMLuhrmann #TPolyphilus

The Etsy Witch and the Seattle Mariners | Spokane News https://www.rawchili.com/mlb/391148/ #Baseball #CulturalAnthropology #FictionalSuperhumanAbilities #folklore #khq #LocalNews #Magic(supernatural) #Mariners #MLB #MythologicalPowers #occult #paranormal #RecurringElementsInFolklore #Religion #ReligiousPractices #Seattle #SeattleMariners #SeattleMariners #spokane #SpokaneCounty #SpokaneNews #SpokaneValley #supernatural #SupernaturalLegends #Superstitions #WashingtonNews #witchcraft

Beautiful and unique photos of cultures little or never seen outside their immediate areas. #photography #culturalanthropology

Traveling Photographer Spends ...

Beautiful and unique photos of cultures little or never seen outside their immediate areas. #photography #culturalanthropology

Traveling Photographer Spends ...

📙 'Folklore of the Central Plains' - a Sunway University Press book on #ScienceOpen:

🔗 https://www.scienceopen.com/book?vid=e0e408ae-8f90-48c5-b639-72eab11ebf42

#ChineseCivilization #FolkloreStudies #CulturalAnthropology #ChineseStudies

Cultural Burning around the Stringybarks and Turpentines in steep terrain. Confidence
#thicktrunktuesday #Indigenous #CulturalBurning #CulturalAnthropology #Australia #Forest #Ecology

@murdoc @actuallyautistic Have some #CulturalAnthropology background.

I don't believe this is is the case.

If anything, I imagine that the #actuallyAutistic evolutionary niche would be one of hyper-specialization. Our "special interest" feature lends itself to potential deeper understanding and mastery of certain tools and skills. This information can then be shared with the broader population.

The tradeoff being that we are more dependent on the broader population.

So I'm now a cultural anthropologist for real.

I've been teaching the subject at college for a year, but up till this March my other job was marketing strategy, a job I've been trying so hard to get out of, where yes I am an anthropologist but it's a corporate context and no one understands or values what it means.

This summer I begin doing fieldwork and my job title will be literally, cultural anthropologist. I just ... it's surreal. I'm so relieved.

@anthropology #culturalAnthropology

Linguistic relativity--the idea that language influences thought--has inspired hearty debate. It's clear that the language you speak does not determine thought, or prevent you from thinking certain thoughts. (That version of the theory has been debunked and can get racist fast.) However it's also clear that language plays an enormous role in culture, which does shape how we think about things. Now to the news:

#linguistodons @linguistics @anthropology #culturalAnthropology

What is culture? Anthropology has many long-winded definitions, which tend to be abstract and hard to remember. The definition I give my students is, culture is the way we are together. Think of any domain of life--family, finance, school, work, play, art, disaster response, medicine, sex, childbirth, death, faith practice, vacation, etc--and think of how the people you know engage in that with each other.

You have ways. You have "we"s. You have culture.
#culturalAnthropology @anthropology

What is reflexivity? My students and I were talking about this in regard to objectivity and knowledge-making, and they were equating reflexivity to being aware of, and controlling for, your bias. But it's also more. Reflexivity is knowing where you stand, and knowing that where you stand influences what you're able to see. Reflexivity is knowing that people might not want to talk to you, or might talk differently to you than another, because of who you are.
#culturalAnthropology @anthropology

Finally, my dissertation follow up paper about the public appearence of #socioloy , #economics , and #culturalanthropology is published.
https://doi.org/10.7146/serendipities.v9i1.139666
#sociology #sciencecommunication #sociologyofscience #socialsciences #socialsciencereporting

#Free #OpenAccess #Research Article.

Civilisation under Colonial Conditions: Development, Difference and Violence in Swahili Poems, 1888–1907.

ABSTRACT
For a global history of development, Swahili #poems from the #German colonial period are valuable sources as they help to question the diffusionist view of development discourses as colonial import. This article analyses how concepts of development ( #maendeleo ) and civilisation ( #ustaarabu ) figured in poems written by Swahili authors between 1888 and 1907. Going beyond a reading of these texts as pro- or anti-colonial, it shows the importance poets attached to urban infrastructural improvement. Poems were also informed by the self-image of the superior, urban, #Muslim strata of coastal society ( #waungwana ) in contrast to inferior #nonMuslim inland societies ( #washenzi ). Several poets suggested that inland societies should be disciplined, yet differences to coastal Swahili society were usually not couched in terms of temporality nor in terms of a civilising mission. Poets had to come to terms, however, with new power relations as a result of German conquest. While some authors openly criticised colonial violence, others also embraced colonial interventions in infrastructural and economic aspects – but still expressed nostalgia for the past. In sum, the poems constitute a transitional space in Swahili discourses on development, showing that these were not merely colonial imports but grew from multiple roots.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13696815.2022.2027231#abstract

#Education #GlobalSouth #Africa #Decolonization #DecolonialLearning #Swahili #Poetry #Colonialism #GlobalHistory #WorldHistory #AfricanHistory #Poets #CulturalAnthropology #HumanCivilization

Very interesting study in PNAS about how learning happens in hunter gatherer societies. Relevant because this is how humans lived for 99% of human history. Also relevant for anyone interested in fostering cultures where people are able to collaborate and live with the land:

"The broad informal learning network in hunter-gatherer societies is made possible by intimate living conditions. Small camps, usually consisting of 25-35 individuals living in homes a few feet from each other, create an environment where children can observe and interact with a wide range of people.

This allows them to learn essential skills, including caring for infants and cooking as well as hunting and gathering, through a process that is often subtle and nonverbal.

The study also highlights the importance of egalitarianism, respect for individual autonomy and extensive sharing in shaping how cultural knowledge is passed down among hunter gatherers. For example, children learn the importance of equality and autonomy by observing the behavior of adults and children around them.

They are not coerced into learning but are given the freedom to explore and practice skills on their own, fostering a deep understanding of their culture.

“This approach to learning contributes to what we call ‘cumulative culture’—the ability to build on existing knowledge and pass it down through generations,” Hewlett said."

https://neurosciencenews.com/culture-environment-learning-28078/

#Anthropology #culture #learning #Education #CulturalAnthropology

Man I really like teaching cultural anth. After covering some basic methods and what-is content over the first three weeks, we're now doing deep dives every single class and it's so fun. What is race & how does othering show up, what is magic and why isn't it as accepted as religion, is being fat bad for you given the role of anti-fat cultural bias in research, if objectivity is impossible what are the alternatives ...

#anthropology #culturalAnthropology #teaching @academicchatter @anthropology

The Society for Cultural Anthropology has published a new online issue dedicated to the student movement for Palestine, focusing on the camp protest.
Worth of note:

"Three co-editors put this special issue together. Two remain anonymous due to the unevenly distributed repression that places them at greater risk."

https://culanth.org/fieldsights/series/counter-archives

#anthropology #anthro #StudentMovements #Palestine #PalestineAction #CulturalAnthropology

"Christiana A. Mbakwe, said, "If someone starts an aphorism with 'there's an African saying' it's probably a mythical quote misattributed to a whole continent."" - https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/07/30/487925796/it-takes-a-village-to-determine-the-origins-of-an-african-proverb

#CulturalAnthropology #culture #history

The CFS Choux Questionnaire

Greg de St. Maurice g_d_s_m

#Choux #Questionnaire #FoodStudies #FoodScholars #HigherEd #Academia #Anthropology #CulturalAnthropology

#JustPublished #FoodStudies #NewIssue

#Read all you want! #OpenAccess
#Share generously! #KnowledgeSharing
#Grow your understanding of #Food
#Repeat

https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/701

Natural Symbols

https://library.hrmtc.com/2024/09/06/natural-symbols/

The CFS Choux Questionnaire

Greg de St. Maurice

#Choux #Questionnaire ##FoodStudies #FoodScholars #HigherEd #Academia #Anthropology #CulturalAnthropology

#JustPublished #FoodStudies #NewIssue

#Read all you want! #OpenAccess
#Share generously! #KnowledgeSharing
#Grow your understanding of #Food
#Repeat

https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/701

‘more complex than previously assumed’ story of the week…

fabric from trees - Indigenous Bark Beaters in Coastal British Columbia [html - profusely illustrated] #BarkBeaters #bast #CulturalAnthropology #ethnology https://grantkeddie.com/2024/07/05/indigenous-bark-beaters-in-coastal-british-columbia/

science writing & the use of "we":

this is me, a humble reader, begging nonfiction writers to please stop using "we" when they are referring to western science/society:

"for the first time, we are learning..."
"we first discovered x in..."
"until 1901, we didn't know..."

just because western science has only just discovered xyz, it doesn't mean that WE ALL were implicated.

many cultures around the world do not have the same ideas about stuff as those of us in the west (and if you want to get real, the west is made up of many subcultures, many of which are actively oppositional to the main society's values and skeptical of its mainstream knowledge).

additionally, many peoples' lived experiences with the natural world mean that they know things that western science hasn't yet documented (i'm thinking here of the "animals discovered using plants for medicine" research - those of us who live closely with animals know that all kinds of animals use plant medicine - including my cat, who has a specific grass she prefers when she needs to barf! not just any grass will do.)

if an author is totally wedded to the use of "we" when making extremely broad statements about belief and stuff, then please at least define it in the introduction: "in this book, when I use 'we', I am referring to the knowledges produced by western science, and beliefs that are common among people living in the west."

(and i hate to single anyone out, but science writers are the ones who seem to most love using "we" when they are referring to western science/history/culture.)

#CulturalStudies #CulturalAnthropology #ScienceWriting #STS #writing #nonfiction #books

#AcademicJob | #Postdoc

"The associate work post of a postdoctoral researcher in the scientific area of humanities, the field of #ethnology and #anthropology, specialty: #MultimodalAnthropology, #VisualAnthropology [and] #AnthropologyOfMigration"

@ Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research (Croatia)

https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/233832

CC @academicjobs @anthropology

#Anthropology #SocialAnthropology #CulturalAnthropology

Looking forward to VANDA 2024 - Vienna #Anthropology Days!

Deadline for submission is June 1st.
Online presentation / attendance is possible.

#conference #culturalanthropology #vienna #cfp

https://vanda.univie.ac.at/call-for-papers/

Hey friends, Benjamin Maldonaldo reached out to us on Instagram and asked us to share his post about a SOLARPUNK SURVEY which is super awesome!! He wants to take the temperature of what solarpunks are thinking/feeling about solarpunk itself as a movement/genre for his bachelor's thesis, and we think it's a rad concept. Here's the link:

https://leidenuniv.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0fzn8imjfXxWTyK

"Dear Solarpunks, my name is Benjamín Maldonado, a Chilean 21 year old Solarpunk enthusiast that throughout the last few months, has tried to learn as much as possible about the movement and genre. This personal passion led me to choose Solarpunk as the subject of my thesis for the Bachelor of Cultural Anthropology at Leiden University.

The following survey will be part of that thesis, where I will ask you about your thoughts on different matters like the Solarpunk movement, Solarpunk content, Solarpunk communities and some basic demographics. Based on the time I have spent in Solarpunk forums, it is very likely that you are also curious on what other Solarpunks think. Given this, after I close the survey I would like to share my findings with you all, hopefully contributing to the ongoing debates within the community.

Your participation in this survey is entirely voluntary, and all responses will be kept confidential. Your personal information will not be divulged, and your individual responses will remain anonymous. The data gathered from this survey will be used solely for research purposes related to this research, supervised by Assistant Professor Rodrigo Ochigame and Assistant Professor John Boy

Although I am sure there are a lot of underage Solarpunks who have a lot to say, I sadly will not be allowing people younger than 18. This is solely a legal matter. Your understanding and cooperation on this matter are greatly appreciated."

#solarpunk #survey #culturalAnthropology #solarpunkSurvey #solarpunkCommunity #communityLearning

“if you like people you'll actually do great in a healthy workplace” should be the first line of the #CulturalAnthropology course for recent #STEM graduates
https://heads.social/@mrcompletely/112089086280645244