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Scathing Anthropology

The first draft of Living Anthropologically was called “Angry Anthropology.” I wrote it out of anger that anthropology and anthropological analysis was not being heard in the world. I was pitching it as a textbook companion, and my would-be editor wanted something more positive. Thus: Living Anthropologically. Although in general I have attempted to heed the advice of keeping things positive, the Scathing Anthropology category contains posts that foreground this original “Angry Anthropology.”

Starbucks Enlightenment

Starbucks - Racism - Anthropology

Anthropology condemns the revival of biological race. Some join against racist calls to police black people. But what about race & racism within anthropology?

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags anthropology branding, empathy, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, politics, race, racism Leave a comment

Anthropology Is Your Ally

Wallerstein - End of the World as We Know It - Social Science and Humanities

An impassioned plea to lower the arrogance decibels. In the wake of Steven Pinker’s “Science Is Not Your Enemy” assessing humanities & science together.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags ambushing anthropology, anthropology branding, capitalism, cultural relativism, education, Eric Wolf, fieldwork, human nature, Jared Diamond, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, planning, political economy, politics, Sidney Mintz, Tim Ingold 12 Comments

White-Race Problems

White - Richard Dyer - White Hispanic

Don’t worry White people! White Hispanics and our White Black President will save us! Geraldo Rivera’s Fox News fact-twisting shows race retrenchment.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags capitalism, culture, immigration, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, political economy, politics, race, race mixing, racism 44 Comments

Epigenetics & Human Nature

Everett - Language The Cultural Tool - Epigenetics

Could epigenetics finally re-write the script about human nature? Maybe, but first we have to go over The Edge’s promotional tribute to Napoleon Chagnon.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags ambushing anthropology, anthropology branding, culture, David Brooks, ethnobiogeny, evolution, genetics, human nature, Jared Diamond, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, natural selection, politics, racism, Sidney Mintz, Tim Ingold 13 Comments

Angry Papuan leaders demand Jared Diamond apologizes – Survival Intl

Angry Papuan leaders demand Jared Diamond apologizes

Papuan leaders jump into the discussion, as Stephen Corry and Survival International challenge two very public figures–Jared Diamond and Steven Pinker.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags ambushing anthropology, anthropology branding, cultural relativism, culture, Eric Wolf, human nature, Jared Diamond, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, politics 8 Comments

#GunReformNow for #AnthroDay

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Saturday Night Special - Anthropology of Gun Violence

Can gun violence ever lead to new gun control resolve or just to new guns? Anthropology can push for sanity on gun violence and gun control.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags anthropology branding, capitalism, culture, David Brooks, gun violence, human nature, politics 8 Comments

AAA and the NRA

Americas Top Pundits - AAA NRA

What does anthropology reveal about gun violence? Reflections between tweets from the American Anthropological Association and the NRA gun defense.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags gun violence Leave a comment

Yes, the guns really do matter.

How America Got Its Guns - Semi-Automatic Anthropology

In our urge to understand complexity, anthropologists can make things more complicated than necessary. The guns matter. The U.S. needs a semi-automatic ban.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags ambushing anthropology, anthropology branding, capitalism, culture, education, gun violence, human nature, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, political economy, politics, race 18 Comments

Conservative Goldmine

Between Barack and a Hard Place - Social Construction of Race

The “social construction of race” is a goldmine for conservative politics, offering endless denunciation, delusions of anti-white bias, & political venom.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags ambushing anthropology, anthropology branding, capitalism, human nature, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, political economy, politics, race, racism, sports 12 Comments

(on Race/IQ)

American Conservative

In 2012. Ron Unz put my reading of Race/IQ in “The American Conservative,” asking if it is “Game Over” for Race IQ. It should have been–but it never is.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags anthropology branding, genetics, political economy, politics, race, racism 10 Comments

Race IQ – Game Over: It was always all about wealth

Black Wealth White Wealth - Race IQ

The publication of “Race, IQ, and Wealth” by Ron Unz effectively is game over for Race IQ peddlers–it was always about wealth & inequality.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags capitalism, culture, education, genetics, Jared Diamond, political economy, politics, race, racism 48 Comments

Whiteness is a Project

Glissant Caribbean Discourse - Whiteness and White Privilege

Power and how power is projected must be understood as a process, not as a thing. Whiteness & White Privilege is an ongoing project and process.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags anthropology branding, Eric Wolf, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, political economy, politics, race, race mixing, racism 3 Comments

School Budget Myths

A look at common myths around school budgets.

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fellow passengers in this world of ours

empathy and science

On the sorely-felt need for humility, empathy, and sympathy. On science, intelligence, Adam Smith, economics, Wealth of Nations, Theory of Moral Sentiments.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags education, empathy, human nature, political economy, politics, race, Tim Ingold 4 Comments

Gingrich wins South Carolina: Payoff for slapping down a black man

In 2012 Newt Gingrich wins a decisive victory in South Carolina. Race-baiting and anger still pay handsome dividends in U.S. politics.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags politics, race, racism 3 Comments

Columbus Day: Everybody’s Working Through the Weekend

Anthropology on Columbus Day

Anthropology on Columbus Day: As painful as it is to re-examine Loverboy’s “Working for the Weekend” (even in ironic mode), something seems awry in academia

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags anthropology branding, assessment, education, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, politics 3 Comments

Mismeasuring Gould

Mismeasure of Man - Mismeasure of Science

“The Mismeasure of Science” reassessed Gould’s “Mismeasure of Man.” In a climate of race resurgence and attacking anthropology, this was a horrible idea.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags ambushing anthropology, anthropology branding, evolution, genetics, Nicholas Wade, politics, race, racism 22 Comments

Are Perceptions of Anti-White Bias Increasing?

Anti-White Bias Graph 2011

2011 article “Is Anti-White Bias a Problem?” revealed a delusion of perceived anti-white bias, but researchers deceptively argued it was new or increasing.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags political economy, politics, race, racism Leave a comment

#EndFGM Together

Female Circumcision - Is female circumcision torture

Many commenters have described female circumcision as “torture.” Anthropology can respond without sensationalizing or approving.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags ambushing anthropology, cultural relativism, culture, gender, introduction to anthropology, politics 2 Comments

Why do we celebrate killing?

To challenge “Why we celebrate killing” anthropology must emphasize political economy, going beyond idea of instincts shaped by culture.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags ambushing anthropology, evolution, human nature, political economy, Tim Ingold 9 Comments

Racism Reality Check

Reproducing Race - Race Remixed

The idea of “Race Remixed” was always questionable. Census numbers didn’t show remixing, but a racism of persistent inequalities and “probationary whites.”

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags anthropology branding, capitalism, immigration, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, political economy, politics, race, race mixing, racism 21 Comments

Popularizing Anthro 1996-2011

Popularizing Anthropology - Anthro-Flop-ology

Reading “Complexities: Beyond Nature and Nurture” leads to lessons from attempts at popularizing anthropology, 1996-2011.

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Categories Scathing Anthropology Tags ambushing anthropology, anthropology branding, human nature Leave a comment

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agriculture ambushing anthropology anthropology branding assessment capitalism cultural relativism culture David Brooks Denisovans education empathy Eric Wolf ethnobiogeny evolution Fernando Coronil fieldwork gender genetics globalization gun violence human nature immigration introduction to anthropology Jared Diamond Latin America Michel-Rolph Trouillot natural selection Neandertals Nicholas Wade occupy planning political economy politics primates primatology race race mixing racism Ruth Benedict sex sexuality Sidney Mintz sports textbooks Tim Ingold
© 2011-2023 Jason Antrosio. All Rights Reserved. This blog is a personal project and does not represent the views of any institutions or employers, current or previous. The opinions expressed here are mine alone.