What is the other? I’m of the mind that the concept and practice of treating clients, in this case, as an other is exceptionally problematic. The idea of the other and processes of othering, called alterity, is a rich topic in anthropology. We’ve detailed time and again the many examples of …
Anthropology is a storytelling discipline. As such, it seems to lend itself to podcasting. Check out some of these great podcasts if you’re looking for something new and interesting!
In the past two posts I’ve been exploring the election of President’elect Trump through the lenses of anthropology. If you’ll recall from my first post, one of the key capabilities of anthropology “is to make the world safe for human differences” (Benedict 1946). In this post I’ll continue to build …
For many on the political centre-left, this week was jarring. Donald Trump, quasi-successful businessman and reality TV personality was voted into United States political office as President-elect.
“The purpose of anthropology is to make the world safe for human differences”. Ruth Benedict’s now-famous dictum echoed so artfully by Nancy Schepher-Hughes (see this post) is a powerful way to conceptualize what purpose anthropological practice can play in the world at-large.
Myth 2: Corporate culture is “fluffy” After reading Michel Foucault’s deeply moving and oft-disturbing Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, I don’t know of another book that so radically changed the way I thought about the role of the education, health “care”, and the state.
Anthropologists are often very deliberate about the way we deploy concepts and theories. This comes from a well documented disciplinary history that has taught us to be mindful and explanatory lest we do more damage than good.
Notes from an Agency Anthropologist In 1946, Ruth Benedict, a US anthropologist published the study of Japanese culture entitled: The Chrysanthemum and the Sword. The book was a product of Benedict’s wartime research completed at the behest of the US Office of War Information. Given the political situation at the time, …
