Every sperm is sacred? (Re)productive struggles in the quest for sustainability

Due to a number of factors, the issue of population growth has become removed from the discussion on sustainability. I explore some of the ethical presumptions that underlie the issues linking population growth and sustainability.

Helen Kopnina • July 15, 2016 • 4 comments

How robots took over our lives and we failed to notice

Robots taking over the human race: an apocalyptic future or everyday reality? From dystopian science fiction imagery to reflections on algorithm culture.

Zane Kripe • July 05, 2016 • 1 comment

Studying World Heritage in the Netherlands - Part 2

What can one learn from three days of fieldwork on Texel? As it turns out, quite a bit. Visiting the exhibition “Garde Robe” at Kaap Skil museum, I came across a successful example of a museum sharing its authority with members of the community.

Henrike Florusbosch • May 31, 2016

The Anti-Politics of World Heritage

In the late 1990s, Mt. Kenya obtained World Heritage status for its unique natural features. Natural-scientific rhetoric underpinned the designation - and covered up the politics at play.

Marlous van den Akker • May 23, 2016 • 1 comment

Street photography and ethnographic ethics

With the accessibility of new technology and digital cameras, most of us anthropologists these days routinely make images in the field. But how do we handle the issues of trust, privacy and other ethics of ethnographic image-making?

Mark Westmoreland • May 10, 2016

‘Walls of Peace’ and memories of conflict in Belfast

Peace-building by building walls? In Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, guided tours to a 3-kilometer-long wall have become a ‘must do’ on the tourist’s schedule. The memorial wall reveals the slow process of reconciliation.

Gerard Persoon • May 02, 2016 • 1 comment

Ethnography and the work of the ancestors

Fieldwork makes one think again about one’s own society. This blog is about how fieldwork taught me what ancestors mean in South Africa and forced me to think again about attitudes to ancestors in Europe.

Erik Bähre • April 18, 2016 • 1 comment

Culture: Public or Private?

Looking at the present situation in many countries we have the impression that culture, museums and heritage have always been state financed affairs. Yet, historical reality might offer us a different picture.

Pieter ter Keurs • April 01, 2016

Beyond multispecies ethnography: Engaging anthropology with violence and animal rights

In the field of Anthropology the focus on social justice and human rights is a general theme. Yet, animal rights have largely escaped anthropological attention. Is it not time for anthropologists to take a stance and go beyond multispecies ethnography?

Helen Kopnina • March 15, 2016 • 9 comments