Category Archives: Economic anthropology

Ten Treasures (and a Bonus): A Selection of Anthropological Gems You Might Have Missed from the Past Few Years

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I began interviewing authors of fabulous new anthropology books for this space back in 2016. While completing 11 interviews, I also amassed a backlog of more terrific books whose authors I planned to interview. One thing led to another, and my embarrassingly accumulating backlog fell hostage to a pandemic. I’ve

Academia, Africa, Africanist scholarship, Animal rights, Anthropology, Anthropology of religion, Benin, Book reviews, Books, Caretaking, Citizenship, Community, Cultural Anthropology, Cultural values, Culture, Current Issues, Economic anthropology, Ethnographic writing, Ethnography, Europe, Feminism, Ghana, History of Anthropology, Homeless, Immigration, Islamophobia, Judaism, Linguistic Anthropology, Lisbon, Mali, Mapuche, Migration, Naming, New York City, Othering, Portugal, Public anthropology, Public policy, Racism, Shamanism, Sports teams, Vodun, West Africa Read more

It’s Not “Just” a Symbol

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The new Maya Angelou quarter is a symbol, yes. But not “just” a symbol. Because, symbols matter. If they didn’t, they would just be like other, ordinary stuff. If symbols didn’t matter, we wouldn’t fight over them. As in, people burning or otherwise desecrating flags when they’re mad at their

Economic anthropology, Feminism, Gender equity, Inequality, Money, Politics of representation, Public anthropology, Racism, Social justice, Symbols, U.S. Congress, Women's activism, Women's issues Read more

To Be a Man Is Not a One-Day Job: A Conversation with Daniel Jordan Smith

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Daniel Jordan Smith has been conducting research in, and writing about, West Africa since 1995.     His first book, A Culture of Corruption: Everyday Deception and Popular Discontent in Nigeria, was a compelling work narrating the daily experience of interrelations between morality and economy, seen from the bottom up. It won

Academia, Academic Career, Africa, Africanist scholarship, Anthropology, Author interviews, Books, Cultural Anthropology, Current Issues, Economic anthropology, Ethnography, Gender relations, Igbo, Masculinity, Men's studies, Money, Nigeria, Research methods, West Africa Read more