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politics

These blog-posts are about the intersection between anthropology and politics. They are often guided by the wisdom of Michel-Rolph Trouillot in Global Transformations: Anthropology and the Modern World.

Many people believe anthropology should have nothing to do with politics or that anthropology can only analyze political configurations but not contribute to them. Others believe that their academic anthropology job is their politics. Trouillot pushed for a middle ground, an academia that was not explicitly political while insisting that anthropologists should have academic projects outside of academia. As Trouillot once commented in a seminar, an academic anthropology job is not activism: “You can’t have your job and eat it too.”

Here are some classroom resources that might be helpful:

  • The 2021 Intro-to-Anthropology class on politics using the textbook Anthropology: What does it mean to be human?
  • The 2020 Intro-to-Anthro class on political organization using the textbook Through the Lens of Anthropology.
  • The Cultural Anthropology 2020 class on politics and power using the textbook Essentials of Cultural Anthropology.
  • This Anthropology 2017 class attempted to ask the question “Why does politics matter?”

Cultural Relativism & Anthropology

McGovern - Socialist Peace - Cultural Relativism

An assessment of cultural relativism & anthropology in 2011 as “Before you Judge, Stand in Her Shoes” dueled with “Don’t walk a mile in her shoes.”

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Categories Cultural Anthropology Tags ambushing anthropology, cultural relativism, culture, immigration, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, political economy, politics, Ruth Benedict, Tim Ingold 2 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

War on Terror

Weaponizing Anthropology - War on Terror

With death of Osama bin Laden, how anthropology supports pursuing criminals, not blanket “war on terror,” and anthropology questions xenophobic nationalism.

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Categories Moral Optimism Tags anthropology branding, cultural relativism, culture, empathy, politics, Ruth Benedict 3 Comments

Anthropology, Ambushed

Conjuring Crisis - Ambushed

Anthropology got in the news for a “F— You Republicans” e-mail. Can anthropology survive the ambush? On understanding conservative victimhood politics.

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Categories Anthropologists Tags ambushing anthropology, anthropology branding, gender, Nicholas Wade, politics 3 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

Culture Doesn’t Matter

Culture Matters

Does culture matter? Anthropology promoted culture, but the book “Culture Matters”–and David Brooks–reveal a perverted idea of culture.

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Categories Cultural Anthropology Tags ambushing anthropology, anthropology branding, capitalism, cultural relativism, culture, David Brooks, Latin America, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, political economy, politics, Sidney Mintz 8 Comments

Loving Anthropology

Power and Protest in the Countryside - Loving Anthropology

Loving anthropology for the questions it asks, the way anthropologists search for answers, and the importance of the answers to our world.

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Categories Moral Optimism Tags anthropology branding, education, empathy, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, politics, Sidney Mintz 8 Comments

Anthropology Textbooks: Doubling down on culture?

Doubling Down on Culture in Anthropology

Kottak and Gezon’s Culture uses a magazine-style textbook to double down on culture in anthropology. That’s problematic–culture is already everywhere.

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Categories Cultural Anthropology Tags anthropology branding, cultural relativism, culture, education, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, politics, race, Ruth Benedict, Sidney Mintz, textbooks 6 Comments
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© 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.